From Croft to Salt

Rating: Null/10 (25 July 2010)

"Salt" is an undistinguished but serviceable action thriller. The plot is simple (SPOILER, SPOILERS, Spoilers): a double agent – CIA agent and undercover Russia mole – flips again when the Russians kills her innocent husband as an expendable pawn. At the end of the story, the CIA agent who captured her let her slip away to take revenge – kind of "Salt begins".
The movie IS Angelina Jolie, first blond, then dark haired. Her CIA credentials list her expertise as: combat and explosives. Right away you can see what is coming. Whether it's attempting to assassinate the Russian president, the U.S. president, or to save the world from nuclear annihilation, the plot serves only as a platform for her to beat people up, blow things up and, in most cases, both. Although you have seen these chases, fights and firework millions of times on the screen, they still look good here, many say because of Jolie. While she deserves due credit, the cryptic edit work helps immensely.
The support cast is good, two in particular. If you are familiar with the theory of "premium actors has a reason to be there" (more spoilers), you know that just as Ben Kingsley wouldn't appear in "Prince of Persia: The sands of time" (2010) for such a mundane role that the king's brother initially appears to be, Liev Schreiber wouldn't be needed in "Salt" only as the dull, concerned boss of Evelyn Salt. The other is Chiwetel Ejiofor, looking as good as he ever was in "Love actually" and "Melinda and Melinda", tough CIA persona notwithstanding.
It seems that these days, no producer will accept a script that does not leave a possible sequel dangling at the end. Jolie has made it with the Lara Croft franchise. Now is as good as a time as any to move on. Salt is a distinct possibility, or so wish the movie makers.