The Film Buzz Rating: (6.5/10)

One of 2010’s highly-anticipated action thrillers is Philip Noyce’s Salt. Casting Angelina Jolie, an uprising action heroine, as the mysterious Russian spy has undoubtedly boosted the film’s appeal while she produces her own incredible stunts as the forever-running Evelyn Salt.

The Plot

Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie), a CIA agent based in New York, is accused by suspicious Russian defector Vassily Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski) of being a dangerous spy who also originates from his country, with the intentions of assassinating the Russian president during his visit to New York City.

Denying the high-stake claims against her, Salt flees her company attempting to prioritise the safety of her husband, Michael Krause (August Diehl), yet returns home to an empty apartment. Realising that she may be too late, she escapes the pursuit from the CIA and successfully shoots the Russian president.

Submersing herself into further trouble, Salt is in a permanent game of cat-and-mouse: frequently changing disguises and names as she craftily pursues different targets, but trusts no individual. The concept of identity is persistently toyed with as Salt manipulates betrayal as well having to face it herself.

The Thoughts

Being a die-hard Jolie fan, my expectations of this film were fairly straightforward, though admittedly I had left the cinema hall feeling even more disappointed than I had anticipated. While Jolie may not hold the place of an exceptionally talented actor, she certainly has more depth to her than that portrayed in the somewhat uninteresting Salt.

I was fairly betrothed by the opening torture scene; I felt that it was an engaging five minutes, making the viewers feel as if they were resting on a worthwhile decision – nevertheless I can conclude that the quality of the film and acting had regrettably ended there. Director Philip Noyce had failed to embrace the opportunity to create an exquisitely mysterious, multi-faceted character with a thrillingly questionable identity; instead we were left with a bland rock of an assassin/secret agent/target – whatever she may be – with very little dialogue and depth, seeming as if she was simply following directorial orders.

A persona as intriguing as Salt, combined with the edgy, twisted character that Jolie undoubtedly has the capability to portray, may have been the ideal recipe for a thoroughly entertaining, somewhat dark spy thriller though it seems that Noyce had held back on some ingredients and unfortunately produced a half-baked dissatisfaction.

The plot I felt had a lot of untidiness and ambiguity; although the twists and revelations were ‘predictably unpredictable’, Noyce could certainly have polished it with an eyebrow-raising climax, however I found myself being surprised into an abrupt and pointless ending with a pitiable attempt at a cliff-hanger.  There is no doubt that Jolie as well as the other skilled actors could have brought some effervescence into an otherwise dull and mediocre script, yet it seems as if such potential was shamefully shunned.

Criticism aside, the action and visual effects were undeniably impressive – what Jolie lacks in character in this film, she indeed fills with a sense of physical deity.  Her jaw-dropping leaps, shocking falls, unanticipated strength and the sheer ability to escape every nerve-wracking,  entrapping moment compare her to a “lean, mean fighting machine” with barely any human qualities; all the while maintaining an appropriately tight, piercing and sometimes icy facial expression. I recognise that this is what Noyce had intended – to ultimately convey a strong, silent, and deadly assassin, though I feel that there were simply not enough opportunities for the viewers to truly absorb and thus appreciate the potentially powerful character that is, Evelyn Salt.

The Film Buzz Rating: (6.5/10)

UK Release Date: 18 August 2010.

Director: Phillip Noyce

Writer: Kurt Wimmer