Good spy action-thriller

Rating: 8/10 (30 January 2011)

Recap: Evelyn Salt is a young CIA-agent working in the "Russia House" a department with focus on events and people in Russia. And she is late for home and her anniversary. That moment, Orlov, a Russian agent steps inside her office and claims a Russian agent will kill the Russian president in New York in a couple of days. And that agent will be Evelyn Salt. Suddenly she is the most sought after fugitive in the entire country, but she is involved in a game with much higher stakes than her own life
Comments: Actually, they are quite rare, the really good agent action-thrillers. But Salt is one, and Angelina Jolie is a star talented enough to handle and carry a movie like this. She and the movie got all the ingredients. First and foremost a good and deep enough story. I wouldn't call it complex, but with enough layers that gives it room to evolve and give it weight. Secondly it got all the high adrenaline shots such a movie needs. Car chases, explosions, gun fights. You name it, you got it. And it doesn't dilute it with an half hearted attempt at comedy.
In my opinion, given a good enough continuing story preferably in the hands of Wimmer whom has delivered solid action movies time and again, has the possibility to become a new agent franchise. This could well be the first movie in a series, it has established a solid foundation for it anyway.
That Jolie excels is not a surprise really, but she got good support as well. Both Schreiber and Ejiofor are solid actors, especially Ejiofor is one of the more underrated in Hollywood. His role was limited in Salt, but could very well be expanded in an eventual sequel.
This was one of the better in the genre recently, entertaining all the way through. I can only hope that they see the opportunity and recognize what they have in Salt.
8/10