Move over James Bond. The name is Salt. Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) and there’s no time for martinis, shaken OR stirred. Her boss, Ted Winder (Liev Shreiber) hopes she’ll escape without bullet wounds when she’s accused of being a Russian Spy at her home office with the C.I.A. Occasionally this confusion leaves the audience wondering if it’s okay to root for her. Maybe she’s a spy? Maybe she’s not? And there’s the issue of the film being highly entertaining but far from plausible. But that’s okay. Jolie’s fun, in-control and gorgeous to watch. The role of Salt was originally slated for Tom Cruise who turned it down after feeling it resembled a little-too-much Mission Impossible. When the studio looked to Jolie, a franchise was born. And speaking of “born” Salt moves and engages the way Matt Damon does in the Bourne franchise. Lacking the animation feel of Jolie’s previous Lara Craft character, Salt feels human, real, disarming and even a bit of an underdog (maybe it’s the puppy scenes.) it’s rumored that this very real character did many of her own stunts. Of course when sitting in your seat, you can’t help but hope it’s not the one where she jumps from the huge high-speed truck to a smaller moving truck on top of a bridge on top of a river. Otherwise, Brad will be raising all those babies solo. Nevertheless, you go girlfriend! Tough, sexy and original. Three and a half tiaras
