Salt - a Review

Angelina Jolie is much more than eye candy in the movie Salt released in July 23. The Hollywood super star adds another breathtaking interpretation to her franchise of action packed, kiss ass action heroines who knock down macho bad guys without breaking a sweat. Here is what you need to know before watching Salt.

To watch the official Salt trailer click here

Salt - The Plot

If you enjoyed watching Ms Jolie in Lara Croft and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, you will love seeing her play Evelyn Salt in Salt.

Jolie's Evelyn Salt is a stern CIA agent who managed to survive a North Korean prison, without failing her agency. Salt now lives in D.C. and is married to a naïve German biologist (August Diehl). She has been assigned to desk duties when she is pushed by her supervisor, Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber) to briefly interrogate a supposed Russian defector (Daniel Olbrychski) before she heads for her first anniversary dinner. The Russian talks about sleeper cells and a plot to assassinate the Russian president during his visit to the US, before he drops the name of another alleged Russian sleeper spy - Evelyn Salt.

To watch Angelina Jolie and director Phillip Noyce introducing Salt

Though Salt's supervisor does not give much credibility to what the Russian says, a CIA counterintelligence officer, (Chiwetel Ejiofor) buys the Russian's story and Salt has to escape from a lockdown, and make her way to the Russian president in NY through subway tunnels and blazing cars while she doges bullets and takes down both CIA and Russian agents.

To watch an exclusive interview with Angelina Jolie

Salt - CGI's, stunts and credibility

Though there are plenty of well crafted stunts and CGI effects, Salt is far from being another shallow mash of over the top explosions and unbelievable chases. In Salt both stunts and CGI add to the muscle and tempo of the movie, without taking it over board. In this movie, stunts and CGI are an embellishment to a nerve tensing plot.

Though Evelyn Salt's well crafted stunts and many transformations ( thanks to miraculous latex enhancements) should satisfy the action movie audience who usually rally to Bond movies and summer spy flicks, Salt should also satisfy the more choosy viewers.

What's more the recent news that Russian sleeper spies have been discovered in the US eventhough the Soviet Union is recent history, make this movie's plot even more plausible.

Salt - What the critics are saying

I have seen many critics compare Salt with the somewhat disappointing knight and day. Though there are similarities between the two movies - an American spy is chased by the CIA who believe he is a double agent, through a somewhat similar action packed hunt - that is where the similarities stop.

Thanks to it's realistic stunts and limited CGI, the Hollywood Reporter calls Salt a "better Bond movie than most recent Bond movies" and "slick, light summer entertainment" while Rotten Tomatoes gives it mixed reviews.

For more Salt reviewsclick here

To watch a brief review and an interview with Angelina Jolie on CBS news click here:

Salt - The verdict

Salt is a pulsing, nerve teasing flick with plenty of muscle that makes for great entertainment. Though the screen play doesn't leave you guessing who the villain is for the entire movie, the chase is breath taking and James Newton Howard's music does an excellent job in propelling you in the right mood.

Works cited

"Salt - film review" by Kirk Honeycutt www.hollywoodreporter.com