A Thrill Ride

Rating: 8/10 (12 May 2018)

I saw this film in the cinemas a while back and didn't really think much of it. However I watched it again recently and was really impressed. In fact I was a little surprised that I hadn't written a review of it them, but that is probably a good thing because it means that I can now return to this film with a fresh mind, and a fresh opinion, and also give it the rating that it deserves.
The film starts off in North Korea where Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent, is being tortured. It appears that she is going to be left for dead, which is to be expected, until a surprising trade comes about and she is released. A little later a Russian diplomat comes into the CIA to offer some information, and suggests that there are a number of Soviet era sleeper agents in the US, and proceeds to finger her as one of them. This is where the fun starts.
Throughout the film you are never quite sure what is what and who is who. In fact you are never really sure whether Salt is working for the Russians or not, and I won't reveal whether she actually is. In fact you never know who is a sleeper agent and who isn't, and there are some very interesting revelations that come out through the movie, leading you right to an action packed ending.
In a way we are seeing a post Cold-War Russia, but the thing is that the old Soviet system has never really gone away. One of the targets in the film is the Russian President, and there is a suggestion that he is actually Boris Yeltsin, and a part of me suspects that there is a group within Russia that wants to return to the Cold War era. While there wasn't anything particularly said about what was going on, there was this idea playing in the background.
The really interesting thing was the suggestion that American diplomats in Russia during the cold war were killed, and their children taken by the Russians and brain washed before being handed back to the United States (or even switched). This was what was insinuated in the opening scene where Salt is speaking with the Diplomat. In reality it is unclear as to how many of these sleeper agents are present, because it seems that the United States government is unaware of how many of these children were brainwashed. Not surprisingly, they made their way into some very influential organisations.
This is one of those movies that could easily be considered one long thrilling ride from beginning to end. In another way, one wonders how it is that the United States is unaware of something odd going on, if the parents of all these children are incidentally killed. I'm sure after a few there would suddenly be some questions being asked. The other thing is that some people turn out to be agents, even though there was no real hint from the get-go - sometimes I feel that maybe there should be some hints so that it doesn't come out hugely unrealistic. Still, this was a great film, and other that kept me at the edge of my seat all the way through.