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 In cinemas now [M]
Director: Phillip Noyce
Runtime: 100 minutes
Regardless of how much – or little – acting you think is involved in Angelina Jolie’s status as a femme fatale, there’s no doubt that she outdoes any other in contemporary cinema. Her personal badass risk-taking behaviours have served her well as action heroines in Lara Croft and Mr & Mrs Smith, and now, as the titular Salt, she cranks the intensity up to 11. And the arsenal
CIA operative Evelyn Salt is like a female Bourne. Which isn’t surprising when you learn the role was originally Edwin Salt. The key difference is that Bourne had to figure out who he actually was, whereas we are questioning whether or not the stoic Salt is in reality a Russian sleeper spy, programmed to unleash annihilation on the US from within… Or – just maybe – she’s a triple agent. There are small yet vital clues for the keenly observant amongst the fast-paced action adeptly directed by Aussie Phillip Noyce, who’s totally in his element in this genre (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger). The casting of other characters, including Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) as Salt’s boss, Briton Chiwetel Ejiofor (American Gangster) in the role of Salt’s antagonist, counter-intelligence agent Peabody, and Polish actor Daniel Olbrychski as Russian defector Orlov, is spot on (although referencing how here would give away too much). Kurt Wimmer’s script anchors rip currents of the incredible in murky yet recognised depths. (The film’s technical advisor on the CIA, Melissa Boyle Mahle, worked in the Agency as an operative for 16 years.)
Jolie has come a long way since her first roles showcased a raw, edgy but technically unfocused talent. She imbues Salt with depth yet inscrutability. While Jolie’s spectacular antics and stunts (excitingly shot and edited) see her escape certain death with as many lives and as few broken bones as the Terminator, the plot is clever enough to keep viewers guessing who is up to what exactly until reasonably close to the denouement.
Unfortunately this stretches our suspension of disbelief just beyond the bounds of an entertaining romp, but forgivably so. The door is certainly open for a establishing a franchise, and while Salt lands more in the fantasy realm than the Bourne trilogy, it’s certainly more substantial than a two-dimensional pin-up.
****
OLIVIA STEWART
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