Salt

Jeri Jacquin, Movie Maven

Opening in theatres this Friday from director Phillip Noyce and Sony Pictures is a spy thriller of the action kind with “Salt”.

This film tells the story of Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie), a CIA agent whose world is about to be turned upside down. Unexpectedly, a defector named Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski) walks in the CIA’s door to share information on an assassination attempt against Russia’s President.

When Salt questions him, he announces that she is an assassin. Immediately her co-worker Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber) comes to her defense. Unfortunately, Agent Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) sees her as an enemy of the state and an all out woman-hunt begins.

Salt not only runs for her life but comes face to face with her accuser. As the plot unfolds so does who Salt truly is and what she is fighting for.

FINAL WORD: Jolie is actually decent in her role as Salt. This is a hard-core action film and she pulls it off nicely. Unfortunately the story is a little far-fetched and predictable. In trying to reopen the jar of Russian caviar – it seems a little late to rehash the days of US Russian spying.

Schreiber is his usual steady self in the role of Winter. He’s along for the ride in the film when I wish he were instead driving the car! He is such a versatile actor yet still seems to stop short of showing how talented he really is.

Ejiofor is the rough and tough Peabody who was acting like a Canadian Mounty trying to get his ‘wo-man’. Here is another talented actor and if you don’t know much about him you might want to take time to see his films “Four Brothers”, “American Gangster” and his recent film “2012”.

Tom Cruise was actually offered the role but had to turn it down for other commitments so the role was rewritten into a female role. Jolie did most of her own stunts for the film, which puts her in the same league as Cruise and his “Mission Impossible” work.

Other cast includes: August Diehl as Michael Krause, Hunt Block as the US President, Andre Braugher as Secretary of Defense, and Olek Krupa as Russian President Matveyev.

TUBS OF POPCORN: I give “Salt” three tubs of popcorn of five. It is action packed and never a dull moment even if the plot is somewhat predictable. Jolie pretty much carries the film on her small frame but does it well.

This isn’t a thinking persons film, it’s more of a fasten-your-seat-belt-and-hang-on type of film. Nothing wrong with that and nothing wrong with enjoying the film for what it is. So grab a date and head out to a fun night at the movies.

In the end – who is Salt?