Tense and Exciting, But Uneven

Rating: 7/10 (1 November 2010)

At a first glance, Salt may seem like another run-of-the-mill action thriller. However, it is much more than that. Angelina Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, an agent of the CIA who is outed for being a Russian spy out to kill the U.S. president. The movie features Oscar-worthy sound effects and some surprisingly tense scenes. Jolie delivers one of the most sizzling performances of the year as a woman dedicated to her husband and job but holding many intriguing secrets. Her performance and the script prevent the film from being anything resembling a completely boring slog. There are still some flaws with the film. Action sequences involving trucks and buildings border on implausible, and the ending feels very forced, predictable, and uneven. Plot twists can be predictable and overwhelming. Overall, Salt is a multifaceted story that is well-acted and reasonably entertaining.