The name is Salt, Evelyn Salt...

Rating: 7/10 (23 September 2010)

Despite the massive hype surrounding the film, including a trailer that gave away nothing in regards to the secretive plot, there was one major factor speaking against Phillip Noyce's latest action movie, Salt: the fact that one Tom Cruise, though never officially attached, had turned down the lead role - subsequently redesigned for Angelina Jolie - in favor of the disappointing Knight and Day, which he considered a better, more "fun" option. However, Noyce's track record has always been an almost foolproof guarantee of entertainment, and while it isn't his best film, Salt is a good way to spend two hours at the movies.
About that mysterious plot, then: Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a skilled CIA agent who tries to juggle her career and her personal life the best she can, without having her husband (August Diehl) suspect anything. All's well until a Russian spy is apprehended and a conspiracy involving sleeper agents on US soil, an assassination attempt and the so-called "Day X" is revealed. In fact, Evelyn is identified by this spy as one of the Russian undercover agents, leading to her arrest at the hands of her colleagues and friends (Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor). One impressive escape later, and Salt is on the run, desperate to prove her innocence, no matter the cost.
It's easy to see why Cruise bailed out: there are certain similarities between Salt and his Mission: Impossible franchise, not least a scene that requires the main character to wear a latex mask (although the Slat version is far less convincing and makes for one of the picture's more laughable moments). What sets Salt apart, though, is a more reality-based premise: Day X is - apparently - something that gets mentioned in Intelligence circles, and a similar sleeper mission was discovered just a few months before the film's premiere. How odd, then, that Kurt Wimmer's screenplay (reportedly worked on by Brian Helgeland as well) is less precise than the circumstances would promise, with certain contrivances being too outlandish for the genre and the entire final act resting on a couple of plot holes. Clearly, attention has been put on action rather than narrative coherence.
But oh, what action: never once stopping to breathe, the movie jumps from one set-piece to the next, keeping the adrenaline levels high and suspension of disbelief within reasonable boundaries (check out the Matrix-inspired highway chase). Noyce clearly cherishes this chance to make a kick-ass genre flick, and he has found his perfect ally in Jolie, much changed since their previous collaboration (The Bone Collector, a decade back): having evolved from an acting force to be reckoned with to go-to action lady (see Tomb Raider, Mr and Mrs Smith or Wanted), she delivers the good from beginning to end, cheerfully overshadowing equally talented people like Screiber and Ejiofor. If a sequel were to materialize (not entirely impossible), it would be worth it just to see her on the run once again.
A great spy flick, then? No, not quite. But it's a lot of genuine fun while it lasts, as long as no one starts questioning the logic. I mean, who needs that when you've got Jolie doing her usual stuff?