Salt

I arrived at the cinema just in time for this show. I was not expecting much as the reviews and ratings for this movie were not favourable. I must say that the action sequences and the stunts portrayed in this movie are commendable indeed which is more than I can say for the plot. Jolie must have really trained herself for the stunts in the movie (if indeed the stunts were performed by her). They were remarkable and the explosions and chase-scenes were also exciting and entertaining enough. The plot however is weak and lacks clarity. This is coupled with an ending which is so abrupt that you will never see it coming.

SPOILERS TO FOLLOW!

The movie opens with a scene of CIA agent, Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) being tortured for information by North Korean soldiers who accuse her of being a US spy. Salt denies these allegations and to her detriment continues to be brutally tortured. It is not until later that she is released through an exchange with an elderly Korean man. We also learn that the person responsible for her release is Mike Krause (August Diehl) and not the CIA agent who escorts her in her release, Ted Winters (Liev Schriber). We later learn that this is the event which leads to the marriage union of Mike and Evelyn.

Some time has passed and Evelyn is back in the US safe and sound with her husband. All seems well, as she continues to work as a CIA agent who masquerades as an employee in a petroleum company. Everything seems routine and ordinary until a man called Vassily Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski) enters offering vital information to the CIA about Russian sleeper agents who could possibly destroy America. Salt is sent in to conduct what seems like a routine interrogation. All hell breaks loose when he claims (in a rather convoluted flashback) that Salt is in fact a Russian spy and that she is scheduled to execute the Russian President when he comes to the US for the funeral of the Vice President. Salt denies having any knowledge of this and bolts, proclaiming her innocence all the way. When Salt is finally caught in connection to the assassination of the Russian President, she is taken into police custody. After a series of double crosses, triple crosses, and quadruple crosses, Salt actually emerges as one of the good gals who vows at the end of the movie to eliminate the bad guys from the face of the earth. This leaves the ending of the movie with plenty of room for multiple sequels, and even the creation of a series.

It is safe to surmise from the rather absurd plot and the sheer amount of twists and turns that Salt is an action feature only made for pure entertainment and nothing else. If you are looking for depth and a good movie plot to go along with the spectacular action sequences and kick-ass stunts, you will leave the cinema feeling sadly disappointed. A must-watch, especially for fans of Jolie whom I think did a pretty good job as the fugitive who will fight to the death in the name of justice.