It all really comes down to the Angelina Jolie show!

Rating: 8/10 (14 October 2010)

'SALT': Four Stars (Out of Five)
Angelina Jolie, arguably Hollywood's hottest actress, returns to action form in this spy thriller directed by Phillip Noyce (director of such top notch action and suspense films as 'PATRIOT GAMES', 'CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER' and 'DEAD CALM'). This, sort of female version of a 'Jason Bourne' film, tells the tale of CIA 'super' agent named Evelyn Salt (Jolie) who's accused of being a Russian spy, with a mission to assassinate the Russian President, by a Russian defector (played by Daniel Olbrychski). Knowing that the love of her life, her husband (played by August Diehl), is at risk Salt evades capture and goes on the run. She uses all of her expertise and experience to try and save her husband, clear her name and stop the assassination. The film is full of twists as we learn more and more about the assassination plot and the mystery of Salt's true identity.
A lot has been publicized about how this film was originally written for a male lead and Tom Cruise was attached but he later turned down the role in order to do 'KNIGHT AND DAY', which many consider a big mistake considering 'SALT' is a much bigger financial hit than 'KNIGHT AND DAY'. Then it was rewritten for a female lead and Jolie was hired. I still think Cruise made the right choice; this is a better film than 'KNIGHT AND DAY' but that role was just more fitting for Cruise and a smarter choice for him at this stage in his career, regardless of how much money it makes. 'Salt' is a much more fitting role for Jolie. I'd much rather see a female lead in a serious 'balls to the wall' action film like this; it's more intriguing and a lot more fun. With that said who better than Jolie to play the role. She's an awesome action heroine, one of the best, and she definitely doesn't disappoint here. With this and 'WANTED' she has certainly established herself as the world's biggest female action star.
On top of Jolie's performance there's a really suspenseful and action packed script. It does get completely far fetched towards the end but the action is so hard, gritty and somewhat realistic, compared to a lot of CGI summer blockbusters like this, that it doesn't matter. The directing is perfectly fitting to the material and once again there's Jolie. The supporting cast is all adequate, including Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor, but it all really comes down to the Angelina Jolie show. She's never been sexier, at age 35, and she really knows how to put on an 'ass kicking show'. That's why she gets paid the big bucks. She's a Hollywood icon and this movie is a great example of why.
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