It’s safe to say that here at the @rcade we’ve been hearing mixed reviews from across the water about new action thriller Salt. After taking a break from filming to be a mother to her six (!) children for two years, Angelina Jolie finally returns to the silver screen in as a smoldering CIA agent named Evelyn Salt. Forced to go on the run after being accused of being a Russian spy by a defector she was interrogating, and fearing for the safety of her husband she must discover who is setting her up and why, before she is arrested for betraying her country.
Starring alongside Jolie is Liev Schreiber, most fondly remembered in the @rcade offices as Cotton Weary in Wes Craven’s ‘Scream’ trilogy. He plays Ted Winter, Salt’s partner, and the only one who believes she isn’t a spy. The two have a wonderful chemistry together that becomes most engaging towards the end of the film.
Considering the amount of bad reviews and good reviews are equal Stateside, we found Salt to be one of the better action movies of the summer. There are enough car chases and explosions to keep the biggest Michael Bay fans entertained, without skimping on the plot or dialogue. Saying that, Jolie’s Salt is a woman of very few words. Like her previous roles as independent women, Lara Croft in Tomb Raider and Fox in Wanted, she’s one of those ladies who enjoys the term ‘actions speak louder’ and in her case, they most definitely do. Jolie does a fine job of making sure Salt is an enjoyable character, one that the audience actually feels for. Then again, we don’t recall Ms Jolie ever doing any real wrong!
As we’ve mentioned before, director Phillip Noyce, does a tremendous job of ensuring the action sequences are impressive, and that is always helped by an equally impressive score. This time around the job goes to James Newton Howard who also collaborated with Hans Zimmer on the Dark Knight soundtrack and is attached to score Michael Gondry’s Green Hornet. So you can imagine the epic quality of those action scenes!
Screenwriter Kurt Wimmer definitely deserves a mention too. The plot has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster, and keeps the audience guessing right up until the end about the fate of Evelyn Salt. The script isn’t too heavy and everyone does a bang up job of bringing their respective characters to life on screen (without 3D, gasp!)
With all the superhero movies, vampire movies and remakes that Hollywood has been churning out over the past few years, Salt comes as a welcome break from them all. It is a simple, yet fast paced action thriller, the likes of which haven’t been seen since perhaps the first Mission Impossible release back in 1996. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and as a result leaves the audience feeling entertained and looking forward to the possibility of a sequel. So what do you say Angie? More Salt?
