Salt Review

Following the shelving of Bourne 4 for the immediate future, Philip Noyce’s feature has been earmarked as its temporary replacement; however, for better or worse, it is not at all. Entering the film sceptical about Jolie as the main action lead and the plot itself, my spider sense seemed to tingle average film syndrome. I was right. However, upon my exit from the cinema, a strange sense of bewilderment and disappointment filled me.

Noyce’s has dabbled in spy films before with the strangely camp The Saint, but provides proficient spills and thrills for the 100 minute running time. The opening chase scene grabs the audience and identifies Salt as the perfect Hollywood superspy bouncing off lorries and cars like child’s play. Indeed, the action scenes come thick and fast but the lack of humour throughout is strange. Liev Schreiber, efficient and very watchable, is given little to entertain the audience. It’s hard for the audience to care as there is no connection between the audience and the characters as they just seem to be robots on a mission. With a greater focus upon the overall plot and Salt herself, the other characters are given very little to go on from Kurt Wimmer’s script and leaves the audience wanting.

So does Wimmer and Noyce’s sacrifice of other character’s development help the overall picture? Err..no. Focusing all their attention upon Salt does provide the depth of character needed for the plot surrounding her. Indeed, it does seem they had the “Bourne with a vagina” idea in mind providing us with flashbacks and desperate attempts to humanise our lead character. However, the ever changing allegiances and ever twisting plot, it makes us hard to work out how we feel towards Salt. In the hands of a less experienced actress, the character of Salt could be overwhelmed by the plot and the pressure of being handed a lead role. Therefore, the casting of Jolie is perfect. She brings her outside celebrity status and her own acting skills to the role providing a real presence to the screen.

In a summer sausage-fest at the big screen, it’s nice to see a female get her own film to shine in. The ease of transition from an apparent Tom Cruise starrer to an Angelina Jolie starrer shows that it is possible for more films to have lead female roles. Jolie is very strong and she needs to be as the film does depend entirely on her. Jolie’s experience in previous action roles puts her in good stead for the stunts. However, her relationship with her husband acts as clear motivation but as the M Night Shymalan level of implausibility of twists kick in, the audience becomes disillusioned into what motivates Salt on her onslaught of seemingly everyone.

So onto the plot; without revealing too much about the story, there are a series of unexpected turns within the film that basically derails the audience unexpectedly and unwontedly. From the trailer, it seemed our main protagonist was on the run from the C.I.A. after being framed for being a Russian spy. However, the film is rather different, suffocated by its own attempt to be clever and different. It starts off speedily and the opening premise is pretty standard action movie fare.

Adding a little spice to the occasion, Noyce adds the element of the unknown as Salt tries to stay one step ahead of the C.I.A, with Noyce trying to stay one step ahead of the audience. However, it doesn’t completely work. To name but a few, the blur of allegiances, Jolie dressed as a man (face and all) and the ridiculous finale all smack you clean in the face with implausibility. Furthermore, the film seems strangely dated relying upon a twist of the old Cold War rivalry. If made in the early 90s, it would have been a fantastic film but in this day and age, the film lacks bite and fails to be the Bourne with a vagina that was needed. It’s a start for a new breed of female action films but it is still not quite there yet. Good enough for a wet Tuesday evening on DVD but hardly going to bring the house down.

3/5