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Rating:
"Salt" is a film that holds the label of action movie well, and at the same time the protagonist Angelina Jolie fits even better into the role of a modern Mata Hari, complete with a black belt and in the wake of roles already seen in the Jason Bourne trilogy.
On the other hand, however, one must also take a look at the plot of this film, and it is here that the weak points surface, with implausible plots between America and Russia that resurrect the war axe missing since the end of the Cold War, nuclear threat around the corner, the game of guess who is the mole, all seasoned with a Jihad-type training school but of Russian origin - which certainly does not astonish for originality.
Not content with this collage of clichés, the author (the excellent Kurt Wimmer) outdoes himself with a tragically predictable and unwelcome ending. Is it a movie to avoid altogether? Maybe not, but only for fans of Hollywood's leading lady and die-hard action film enthusiasts, since others will find few sparks (no witty lines, no special shots; flat cinematography and equally flat dialogues), except, indeed, in the action sequences moderated by good (but not transcendental) special effects.
In short, both the protagonist, in her attempt to emulate such feats of Charlize Theron in "Aeon Flux" and (especially) Milla Jovovich and Jessica Alba (in "Dark Angel"); and both Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor (previously seen in action as a bloodhound in "Serenity"), deserve a thumbs-up; while the film as a whole fails in its quest to carve out a respected place in the entirely non-rejuvenating stream of action films. If we were to compare it to "Tomb Raider" or "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," it would be Oscar-worthy, given how the genre currently doesn't enjoy good health; and I don't even dare think how much worse it could have been if Tom Cruise had accepted the role of leading lady...er, proposed protagonist.
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