Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action.
Runtime: 1oo min.
Directed by: Philp Noyce
Written by: Kurt Wimmer
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schrieber, Chiwetel Ejofor, Daniel Olbryski, August Diehl
Philip Noyce’s Salt is a whirling wind-up toy of an action movie. Inexplicably, this doesn’t actually make it all that interesting to watch.
Angelina Jolie is in top physical and dramatic shape as the title character, leaping, running, and commando rolling through an ever twisting corridor of dangers, surprises and thrills. She’s not alone either, bolstered on all sides by dynamic performers like Chiwetel Ejofor and Liev Schrieber, and urged along by James Newton Howard’s absorbing score.
The story is essentially a series of chase scenes and character reveals, dredging up and dusting off that most hearty of spy-movie conventions, the Russian sleeper agent. Salt is deliriously paced and thoughtfully directed, and still somehow manages to come off as a second-rate thriller.
All of the pieces are here, and yet, for all of its technical acumen, Salt never really becomes engaging. I wanted to like it, but in the end, felt very little connection or investment to anything happening up on the screen.
The reason for this is that while the film begins with a somewhat plausible conceit, wrapped up in conspiracy theorizing that stretches back all the way to Lee Harvey Oswald, it quickly descends into the kind of superhero implausibility that we would expect in an X-Men picture, with less explanation and more absurdity. Despite this refusal to play by the natural order of things, Salt stubbornly insists on treating the proceedings with a near deadly seriousness. It plays like The Bourne Identity but thinks it’s JFK.
Noyce, a great Australian director who has given us such wonderful films as Rabbit Proof Fence and the Michael Caine spy thriller The Quiet American, does a terrific job of keeping Salt full of forward movement and narrative nimbleness. He folds a romantic back-story into the chase structure of the film so effortlessly that it becomes as immediate and relevant as the action scenes. There’s one of those tense pre-assassination scenes in the film where all the usual suspects stand around looking nervous and scanning the crowd for suspects. Noyce creates a deliberate escalation of suspense, and then Evelyn shows up on the scene and throws the audience a curve ball.
Jolie as Evelyn deserves most of the film’s accolades though, as she is at the center of every scene, every idea, and every emotional revelation. This isn’t just ‘The Fugitive’ with a sexy pout; Jolie makes Evelyn a remarkably resilient and simultaneously fragile woman, who resists the script’s urge to transform her into Wonder Woman or The Black Widow.
There are subtle choices here that she makes which move her away from the object of attraction she represented in Tomb Raider, and define Salt the character as an individual and not merely a psychological extension of Jolie herself. By the end, though, the film has come full circle and we learn it is the kind of origin story that would be right at home in Marvel; out of the closure springs a new beginning.
This is the curious thing about Salt. It works hard to set-up a strong character and an intriguing speculative fiction for its background, but then develops in small bursts, episodically disrupting any cohesion that might have been. It plays havoc with the film’s sense of progression. I thought it was on the verge of ending three separate times, only to spin off again into a new, unlikely wrinkle.
For a while, this is compelling and Jolie keeps Salt a constantly changing presence in our minds; we really don’t know if she’s friend or foe, and even more complex, if she is foe as defined by her cohorts, is she necessarily playing for the wrong side? Kurt Wimmer is responsible for the script, and it took me a few moments to recognize his name, but when I finally did, his contribution makes sense.
Wimmer was the writer and director of 2002’s Equilibrium, a ludicrously over–the-top B movie sci-fi tale with Christian Bale playing a turbo-charged thought policeman who regains his soul and unleashes his particular brand of martial punishment—tagged Gun-kata—on the dystopic government who employs him. That movie too was just a wind-up toy, but it did its job; it wound you up and kept you viscerally entertained, even when you were hanging at the very precipice of logic and reason. The difference between that one and Salt is that the tone supported the wild acrobatics and distortions of natural law. Here, Noyce is focusing on making a very no- nonsense spy adventure, something more in the vein of his 90’s thriller The Saint than a Modesty Blaise-esque ballet of destruction.
Last week, I heard from several people who thought Nolan’s Inception was a visually accomplished movie, but that it wasn’t emotionally engaging to them and the characters functioned mostly like stand-ins. On that count, I didn’t share their perspective, but now seeing Salt, I know how they feel.
This is a well-constructed movie, with more than enough clever thrills and event to satisfy an action fan at the most basic level. But, it teases us with a story, and suggests within its funny book construct, a character who could have been brilliant as the lead in a Carol Reed espionage flick or even a Hitchcock globe trotter. Unfortunately, the film she finds herself in is a modest popcorn muncher with no greater ambition than turning Jolie into the live-action equivalent of that dexterious amphibian from the old Atari game Frogger. She hops, leaps and dodges danger, only to get to the other side of the movie and realize she’s gonna have to do it all over again.
I felt pretty much the same. For me, her motives and history were never really made clear. That made it difficult for me to get behind her character and enjoy the movie.
Disappointing, but then I didn’t expect too much. I like the idea of Angelina as an action star again. She’s talented enough to give her roles heart when they aren’t written with them, but it’s a shame this story took itself too seriously. I’m a huge fan of the action genre and in all honestly have no problem with a superficial action flick where things go boom and our characters run as long as a somewhat believable plot and interesting characters are presented. When you are given the idea that there is more to the story than there actually is, you begin to wish the story was something more than it actually is instead of appreciating it for it’s simplicity.
A common mistake in films today.
I happened to enjoy the wind up toy Equilibrium.
Heather recently posted..Review- A Town Called Panic 2009
I like Equillibrium, too! One of my guilty pleasures, but then again Bale can make any ‘bad’ movie good IMO. Besides, I was really moved by the brief scenes between him and Emily Watson, short but they packed an emotional punch.
I might see this on dvd, but heck it won’t be worth a theater admission, not even matinee. I’ve seen Jolie kicks butt before and yeah sure she’s probably one of the best female action stars these days, but it just doesn’t appeal to me anymore. Not even Liev Schrieber can save this one.
rtm recently posted..Upcoming Flix Spotlight » TRON- Legacy
The casting of that film helped give it some legitimacy. It was certainly a bit exaggerated and exuberant at times, and not all together original, but I really loved it.
If I wasn’t so far behind on my theater going at this point I would actually consider checking this one out, but I agree, I’ll be waiting for DVD as well.
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Yea, I’m not knocking Equilibrium. It was a film that added silliness to a potentially serious story. While I love all the gunkata gags and action scenes, my single favorite bit in the movie is the one where Bale is trying to conceal emotion and the puppy is licking his nose and he’s clearly struggling to pretend like his only thought is that it must be incinerated.
What a beautifully ridiculous and entertaining scene and most movies are too straight-faced to even dare try something like that. It’s totally cheeseball, but it helped liven up the movie.
There’s nothing like that in Salt.
That’s a shame. Sometimes awesomely bad just works, and with Jolie eye-candy it’s simply disappointing.
Heather recently posted..Top Ten Summer Blockbusters
OHHH come on! No mention of Noyce giving us the original Darth Maul ending?
Koutchboom recently posted..Cronenberg’s Masterpiece- Dead Ringers
Blind Fury. Now that’s a blast from the past. Again, another movie that’s inherently silly but sort of embraces it. I’ve not seen that one in ages. Might make for a good Overlooked column.
I may have actually blurted out ‘Blind Fury!’ in the theater at Episode 1. I don’t rightly remember.
It looks stupid, but entertaining with enough action, and Jolie in leather.
CMrok93 recently posted..Unbreakable 2000
Jolie in leather, that’s a key thing.
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I can’t wait til this comes out here in Australia! Looks awesome, and once again Ms Jolie does another riff on the Mr & Mrs Smith/Tomb Raider/Wanted action flick.
For me, I like her as an action hero. She has the chops to make lesser written characters interesting, and frankly there haven’t been too many men out there doing what Willis, Arnie, and Sly left at the end of the 90′s. In the action genre, some films are going to be less than a piece of art, but I’m still inclined to catch this one as well.
I was planning on seeing this last weekend, but got sidetracked. I am definitely a fan of Jolie, she has such a strong screen presence and looks great kicking ass!
Preach.
Broads don’t work as action heroes. There’s no way a 100 pound dame is going to kick any ass except for the ass of proper nutrition.
Some chicks do. Angelina could have as Lara Croft, but I didn’t believe her in Wanted. Her gun weighed more than her entire body.
Heather recently posted..July Contest Winner!
No chicks do. One half assed shot across the chops and they’re done.
Xi, I assume you have never seen this then:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1183252/
As far as the ‘women making good action heroes’ goes, you could probably extend your search all the way back to the era of silent film to find examples.
For me though, it’s easy. The discussion began and ended when I was about 8 years old and saw Aliens for the first time.
Let’s hear it for Ellen Ripley!
Ellen Ripley is without question the greatest female action hero of all time and paved the road for those that followed and made believable heroines. Sarah Connor wasn’t that far behind her, but Ripley is the first real one.
Heather recently posted..July Contest Winner!
Movie chop Socky? get the heck out with that nonsense.
It’s interesting that you bring up Aliens and Terminator what is the one common thread between them? Here’s a two word hint Michael Biehn. Thank you may agree with me that I AM RIGHT.
Not in Terminator 2 and that’s when Sarah Connor became a real badass. Micheal Biehn was not there to save her ass, except in the directors cut dream sequence.
Heather recently posted..July Contest Winner!
I’ll see Jolie in anything…does that make me lose credibility (Original Sin was just terrible).
Encore Entertainment recently posted..Encore’s Greatest Voices- 20-11
I like Taking Lives… cuz of da boobies. Did that make your Top 10 nudey moments, Heather?
Kai B. Parker recently posted..THE HAPPY 101 AWARD
She and Ethan Hawke together was just brilliant. Not a big fan of the actual film but they were good together.
I like Hawke in his mainstream roles… it’s the indie stuff that bugs me. Normally with stars, I’m the other way around.
Kai B. Parker recently posted..THE HAPPY 101 AWARD