A textbook example of a great, swashbuckling thriller. It keeps you guessing.

Rating: 9/10 (4 August 2010)

If you decide you are going to see "Salt" in a theater, which I strongly encourage you to do, then I must give you some sincere advice. Number one, make sure you have all the popcorn and drinks you can need. Number two, make sure you won't have to go to the restroom halfway through. Because if you miss so much as five minutes of this genuinely swashbuckling thriller, you are going to walk back into the auditorium confused beyond belief. Like the Jason Bourne movies and "The International," it's one of those spy thrillers that keeps on the move, throwing twists and surprises at you all the time. It's a strong, kinetic spy movie and furthermore, it's tied with "Toy Story 3" for the title of the best movie that I have seen this year so far.
Because this plot is so complex and so constantly on the move, I can only give you a basic thread of the opening without giving too much away. The movie stars Angelina Jolie as a CIA agent who suddenly finds herself being hunted by a government agent (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who suspects her of being a Russian agent in on a conspiracy to assassinate the Russian president and trigger a global war. Jolie turns into a fugitive on the run as she dodges her former comrades and...
Well, that's all I'm going to give away. The rest, you will have to go see for yourself.
What I really admired about "Salt" was the way that it broke from the conventions of the generic spy thriller. I don't want to spoil any surprises, but I will mention this much. The movie does a fantastic job of making you question and wonder just whose side is Angelina Jolie really on? Is she the mole in the system? Or is there another mole entirely? Well, whatever you are expecting, expect again, because you're in for a big surprise. Actually, you are in for a whole lot of surprises. "Salt" is buttoned up tight with its pacing, with startling plot twists launching at us one after another. It is also crammed with perfectly seasoned action scenes that are so spectacular that they are not credible, but incredible. Suspension of disbelief is required at many points, but unless you're a CIA agent yourself or just a nitpicker, it shouldn't spoil the fun for you.
In lesser hands, "Salt" would have been a complete mess. And let's face it. As genuinely entertaining as it is, it twists its plot so much to the point where it almost becomes ludicrous. Actually, it really is ludicrous, throwing probability right out the window. But what did we learn from the masters like Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick? Probability is not really necessary. If you really know how to handle your material, you can make the audience believe your story. And director Phillip Noyce knows how to handle his material. His directing is solid and well-done and he can really coordinate a terrific action scene. And last but not least, I have to give out my praises to the cast. Angelina Jolie, one of our best actresses of modern times, gives another stellar performance in the titular role. Chiwetel Ejiofor, another strong performer, is in prime form as the man hunting her and the truth down. There's also another solid performance by Liev Schreiber as Jolie's superior, who gives strong conviction without doing much else besides glowering and mumbling under his breath.