So, yesterday I went and saw the new move Salt with Angelina Jolie. This movie basically is your B-rated spy movie with a budget.
The story is about a CIA operative named Evelyn Salt who from the get go, is marked a traitor by a Russian defector and is on the run. She claims to be on the run to find her husband but as the the movie progresses, it makes you wonder if the claim is true or not. However, the movie doesn’t keep you guessing for long, and most attentive viewers will quickly determine who the real villain(s) are, and well before the climax. But I guess that was the authors intent for the flick to be about the chase and not any real mystery. But of course, then they really should have not stuck the “Who is Salt?” on very ad poster in existence.
She dons several disguises in an attempt to avoid capture, and there are quite a few car chases and chocked full of action. There is even one scene where with the help of a facial mask, almost appears to be a guy.
While the movie is definitely preposterous at every turn, the action and plot is very similar to recent James Bond movies, but without the debonair or dialog to go with it. However, almost all of the stunts appear to be realistic and not full of animated CGI to help sell the scenes.
There is overtures that the author wants to convey mainly that there exists the real possibility that sleeper spys from Mother Russia still exist in the united states, and they could be impersonating anybody.
The main negatives, are the shallow dialog. Definitely the character needed more background more flair to help sell the story. It almost seems that they filmed alot of background, but it was cut out at the last minute to keep the movie at a reasonable 1 hour 39 minutes.
That said, I absolutely loved Jolie’s performance, it was spot on for what I expect from the now retired Tomb Raider. The car chases kept me on the edge of my seat wondering if this time she would get caught.
All in all, it was an average B-Movie spy flick with a budget.
I will have to give it **1/2 stars and say wait for the DVD.
Opened July 23, 2010 Runtime:1 hr. 39 min
