In these post-Bourne identity times, to make a taut spy action thriller is always a hard task. I find action films have lost much of its charm, drowned in mostly boring characters, over edited sequences and in all, an cop out in the end. Sure you have some good ones, but i find theres less and less these days. Sad truth.
With Salt, i see hope in layered, exciting action thrillers.
The film is directed by one of the more internationally successful Australian directors, Philip Noyce, a director who has had made some excellent films, such as the tense 1989 thriller Dead Calm, his two entries into Tom Clancys’ Jack Ryan series starring Harrison Ford, with 1992s Patriot Games and 1994s Clear and Present Danger. After the shocker that was 1997s The Saint, he returned to Australia for the critically acclaimed Rabbit Proof Fence in 2001, before slipping away into obscurity. He directed the South Africa set drama Catch A Fire in 2005 with Tim Robbins starring, but that was forgotten quickly. So Salt, is very much a return to the Hollywood sphere, a welcome return for a director who brings more than just simple action fare, as seen with his Jack Ryan films, displaying deeper layers.
Salt follows a female CIA agent, Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie), who finds herself on the run from the government after it is revealed that she may be an undercover Russian spy with the intent on assassinating the Russian President and a new nuclear war between Russia and the US.
Sure, this film isn’t entirely unique, it’s very reminiscent of classic fugitive and spy films, but it surely does not fail in the entertainment department. The pacing of the film is extremely kinetic, and doesn’t get bogged down by too many long dialogue scenes, nor does it waste time getting into the meat of the film. There is also action abound, which is actually rather well executed, such as the jumping cars sequence, a tense and extremely entertaining sequence. They are also edited together rather nicely, as in, you can see what is happening yet it is still intense, unlike many action films today, where you cannot even see what is happening. I think this all ties back to the director Noyce, as the film benefits from his old school action thriller sensibilities.
Angelina Jolie again provides an excellent performance as the ambiguous Salt, one which not only handles action scenes like a pro badass, but also give the character a great sincerity and desperation. I believe the role would have been rather formulaic if played by A: a man, and B: specifically Tom Cruise. The fact the character was changed to a female only adds greater and richer layers.
Other familiar faces appear in support, such as Liev Schreiber, who i believe to be mostly a commonplace actor, nothing strikingly great about him, plays Salts closest CIA ally who must track down Salt. Hes nothing to write home about, but as the film progresses he gives a stronger performance than usual. British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor also appears as the other CIA agent attempting to catch Salt and fills the role fine, but isn’t groundbreaking. The wonderful August Diehl of Inglourious Basterds, appears as well as Salts unconventional spouse, who collects spiders, an interesting character indeed. And what the fuck is Andre Braugher doing suddenly appearing as the Secretary of Defence? He just stands there as background decoration, saying only one or two lines. A definite waste of a good actor.
The film is not perfect, in the end leaving open a few holes within the plot by the end, and can be predictable, but the way the film has been formatted, it keeps away from the predictable elements just long enough for the audience to think otherwise, and there are twists abound, making it a great rollercoaster ride. James Newton Howard’s score is extremely dull, and doesn’t particularly bring anything memorable to the table.
In the end, it’s a very entertaining film, where Jolie kicks some serious ass. Its a nice classic action flick with plenty of excitement, making it a very satisfying cinematic experience.
3.5/5
