Who is Salt: a double agent working for both CIA and Russian government, or merely an innocent woman, who was accused of espionage, now trying to clear her name? This is the mystery both viewers and Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) herself are trying to solve.
Surprisingly timely, with several Russian spies recently uncovered in New York City, “Salt” is an exciting action movie with an equally unpredictable storyline. As the movie develops, you make assumptions that later prove to be wrong. There are moments where you think that people do not know each other and they do; there are scenes where it’s the other way around. For that reason, you are always kept intrigued and wondering what’s going to happen next. The movie is even deprived of a classical happy ending; you are not clear what Salt will do next and whether there will be a sequel.
Unpredictable as it is, who Salt turns out to be, at the same time, is your typical action thriller with chasing, evasion, car crashes, skillful knockdown moves and of course, a beautiful woman attracting all the attention. Her jumps from truck to truck are wonderful; her shots are fatal, if she wants to; her eyes express pure innocence, but there’s no doubt that her perfect reputation is ruined forever. Forced to run on the day of her wedding anniversary, Salt loses everything that was so stable and perfect. The question is whether or not she will be able to get it back together.
Hungry for a love story as a romantic background for all the action, you will be disappointed. There are moments of romance in the movie, but think about it: if you are a secret agent, will you ever be able to safely enjoy loving someone? Being in the middle of attention, Salt puts not only her life, but also her husband’s safety in danger. Unlike “Mission Impossible III,†where the protagonist, played by Tom Cruise, successfully saves his wife, Salt shows us that no matter what we expect from them, super agents are not almighty.
Another thing that distinguishes Salt from other action thrillers is its political angle. Even though the Cold War is long over, there is still a lot of tension between the United States and Russia, with the latter believed to focus on destroying the former. With all this shown, Salt is also full of stereotypes about Russians.
Famous as the place of exile for guilty and innocent criminals and the coldest area in the country, Siberia is thought to be the treasury of Russian secret weapons and an “intelligence center†where insidious plans, like training future spies, are made. That’s where the story starts in Salt.
Siberia is not that scary, though, as the Russians themselves. While women are traditionally pretty, men are often perceived as freaky-looking drunkards. Freaky-looking they are, indeed, in Salt, drinking vodka like water (Ketel One, for some reason, not a Russian one) when celebrating their first victory. The scariest of all is Oleg Vasilievich Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski), who appears in the beginning of the story and announces that Salt is a Russian spy. He is one of those people who are not who they say they are, as his role in the storyline is much more complicated than simply delivering the message. There are also other frightening characters, one of them gives up his life for the well-being of the mission and another one is about to blow up two Muslim centers of the world. No wonder there is still a lot of fear of Russians, the most dangerous enemies, ready for everything and totally out of their minds.
Out of all characters, the protagonist, Salt, is the most complicated and curious one. Throughout the whole movie, you are struggling to decide which side she takes and you are not clear until the end, if not longer. Skillful in combat, Salt is one of these women you don’t want to mess with. At the same time, she is very sensitive. Being chased, she asks a little neighbor to babysit her dog having sneaked into the window with the animal in her backpack. She is risky and confident and she knows how to conceal her emotions, as all secret agents are supposed to do, even at the critical moment, when her heart is about to explode from pain.
Needed appraisal for brilliantly transforming into such a complicated character, Jolie has to be praised for her Russian as well. Unlike Nicole Kidman’s in “Birthday Girl,†Jolie’s Russian is quite understandable without subtitles, for those who speak the language, of course.
But even if you do not, there is still a lot of excitement you can get from viewing this motion picture. Puzzled and confused, you may have your own unique opinion about who Salt really is. And what other people are, if not what they say they are.
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