Typical Summer Fare

Rating: 8/10 (22 August 2010)

Salt is a fast paced spy thriller that keeps the viewer riveted to the edge of his or her seat. Angelina Jolie is well cast as the double agent Evelyn Salt. It is a challenge to think of any other actress who could do a better job than Jolie of projecting an air of mystery while taking on a physically demanding role. Like other films in the espionage thriller genre, Salt leaves it up to the audience to sort out the good guys from the bad ones. The plot is not too complicated that it will befuddle the audience but it has enough twists to keep them interested from start to finish. Salt has a noticeably short run time, just over an hour and a half which is comparable to a typical animated feature. Perhaps, the speed by which the story unfolds does not allow for more subplots which may not suit viewers who want more substance in their films. But as with other summer fare, this film is very much within the ballpark. It is highly entertaining with a big name star for a lead and is marketed to as wide an audience as possible. I would say that the audience does get its money's worth by seeing this film.