Angelina Jolie Kicks Some Ass in SALT

The protagonist is wrongfully accused for a crime she hasn’t committed yet. This formula is similar to the exciting, futuristic adventure, Minority Report (2002), and similar storylines have dated back since Hitchcock’s classic, North by Northwest (1959); the hero, who’s wrongfully accused, and in Salt’s case, so we think so. The hero, Evelyn Salt, plays like a cross between Jason Bourne and MacGyver. CIA operatives are always in way over their head, and they are always involved in convoluted plots, which deal with national terrorism. However, this is an action movie cooked very well, and an action hero whose dual intentions keep you guessing until the very end. Salt doesn’t play too long nor too loud, like most recent action films, but has the right amount of ingredients, including terrific stunts, spectacular chase sequences, violence, and plot twists. We’ve seen this type of action movie before, specifically with the Jason Bourne films, but if it works for Matt Damon, then why can’t it work for Angelina Jolie? Salt is presented as a CIA operative who’s accused of being a mole for an elite, underground Soviet circle. From there, the chase is on, and the audience has to guess-- is Evelyn Salt with us or against us? Well, this is the hero of the film, who’s occupied a plethora of billboards and buses, so I think it’s easy to figure out what kind of character she is, but how she gets there, and why, is a better reason to invest in this character. Sure, the action defies the laws of gravity, and Jolie looks a bit too slender to be kicking so much ass, but let your inhibitions loose and you’ll find that Salt is a rollicking good time. Salt lacks the brilliant imagination and strong visual style as Spielberg’s Minority Report, but it thrusts the viewer right into the central character’s dilemma with just the right amount of kinetic energy. I really hope that Hollywood doesn’t go overboard with this film and turn it into a multi-million dollar franchise, until Salt becomes a manufacturing machine for a string of tired-old sequels. I think Salt works well on its own and doesn’t need a continuation, unless the story dives into uncharted territories, rather than try to multiply the amount of stunts, chases, and violence. *** (out of four stars)