Review: Salt
I was expecting Salt to be like a female version of the Bourne films, and it is as engaging as the best of that series. But unlike Jason Bourne, with Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie), we're never quite sure what her agenda is -- although we're still quite eager to follow her on her escapades.
The movie starts off with our heroine/anti-heroine being traded for another spy (sounds familiar, right?) after she was captured in North Korea and her German arachnologist boyfriend Mike (August Diehl) worked for her release (unaware at this point that she works for the CIA). Two years later, Mike and Evelyn are living in Washington, DC, married, and about to celebrate their anniversary when Salt is asked to interview a Russian spy who has turned himself in to the CIA.
This spy, Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski), spins a tale about a Russian program in the 1970s that indoctrinated children and raised them to speak English as well as Russian ... and he tells of a certain double-agent brought up in the program who will soon kill the Russian president: Evelyn Salt. Salt starts fretting that her CIA partner Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber) and counter-intelligence agent Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) will believe Orlov and so she escapes. Thus the action begins!
Salt is worried for her hubby's safety, and we're supposed to believe their love is strong, but honestly, Jolie and Diehl have zero chemistry together. This is one of the weaker aspects of Salt, along with the boring, cliche-spouting U.S. President played by Hunt Block (thankfully he's not on screen much). I also wish Andre Braugher (as Secretary of Defense) had more of a role. I'm pretty sure I only heard him say one line! Such a powerhouse actor, and this was all they gave him?
Despite these few negatives, the movie travels at an almost frenetic pace, with plenty of surprising twists. As director Phillip Noyce told io9, "we set out . . . to try and make the film, where this was the quest: if you stopped the film at any moment in the movie and asked the audience what is going to happen next, they would be wrong." And the film delivers -- in 100 minutes.
Angelina Jolie carries this film well, aided by excellent performances from Liev Schriber and Chiwetel Ejoifor. She plays the action sequences with flair, but also gives depth to kick-ass spy Evelyn. When her loyalty is tested with a violent act by Orlov, we see her attempt to keep her face emotionless while the only thing that gives her dismay away is the heartbeat we hear. Although there are no other women with hefty supporting roles in the movie, it does technically pass the Bechdel test.
Salt is left open for a sequel. Even if the film doesn't carry on to at least a trilogy, hopefully it is a sign that mainstream Hollywood is becoming more open-minded to the various roles women can play in film. If Angelina Jolie isn't able to continue on with the role, I'm sure there are other female actors who'd love to take on the part. But perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself ... let's see how well the film performs in theaters first.