| Review:
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Isn't it amazing how we play the entertainment card
to make excuses for preposterous films? We as audiences
will buy into a whole host of cinematic flaws as long as
there are sights and sounds to keep us amused, and in all
honesty, I don't know whether or not I mean that as a criticism.
Maybe it's just what is. "Salt," like so many summer action
movies before it, is a fun thrill-a-minute stunt caper,
and yet it possesses not a single shred of plausibility.
It's one of those movies that gives you license to put your
brain on autopilot; you're not supposed to question it,
you're just supposed to enjoy it for what it is. I hope
this isn't a copout on my part, considering all the other
escapist summer films I've dismissed ("Eagle Eye," the "Transformers"
films, "The A-Team"). The fact that it's a spy thriller
may have something to do with why it works. Tales of international
intrigue involving secret agents are generally successful.***
The plot: Trusted CIA agent Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie)
is accused by a Russian defector of secretly being a sleeper
agent for the KGB, Russia's foremost internal security organization.
He also says she will be involved in a plot to assassinate
the President of Russia, who will be in New York City attending
the funeral of the American Vice President. Although she
denies the defector's claims, she realizes that she will
be held against her will, which will endanger the life of
her German husband, a spider scientist (a plot point that
isn't as inconsequential as it might seem). Using every
trick in the book, Salt escapes headquarters and goes on
the run, claiming that she's out to clear her name. Pursuing
her are Agents Winter (Liev Shreiber) and Peabody (Chiwetel
Ejiofor); the former is willing to believe her innocence
while the latter is highly suspicious.***
One of the film's most ridiculous yet clever story
points is an elaborate decades-old scheme by the Russian
government to brainwash children into being KGB agents.
Their goal: Raise them to blend in, have them infiltrate
the United States, and then let them bide their time until
X Day, an operation that will plunge the country into nuclear
war with the rest of the world. You'd be hard pressed to
find a better sinister plot in a James Bond film, with or
without the silly gadgets and gizmos built into wristwatches
and ball-point pens. What does any of this have to do with
Evelyn Salt? Wouldn't you like to know? Let's just say that,
whatever her association, she gets to take part in many
death-defying stunts, including impressive acrobatic leaps
from the tops of semi trucks and gas tankers, all moving
along at average freeway speeds.***
Stories like this require a plot twist or two, and you'll
get them both in "Salt." I will say that, given the formulaic
nature of spy thrillers, the twists aren't all that surprising
- one is, in fact, so predictable that I could tell it was
coming as early as the first ten minutes. But what this
movie lacks in surprises it more than makes up for in sheer
action spectacle, aided greatly by decent casting choices.
Jolie, still in her prime, has been amazingly versatile,
with credits as diverse as "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," "Changeling,"
"A Mighty Heart," and "Wanted" to her name; it's always
a good sign when an actor can convincingly touch you deeply
in one movie and get your heart pounding in another. Schreiber
and Ejiofor play fairly generic roles, but in all fairness,
they do the best with what little they're given.***
The only disappointment is Salt's husband, Mike Krause
(August Diehl), who's featured so infrequently that I couldn't
bring myself to care about him. This is bad because he is
an important character, not merely because of his field
of study, but also because of his emotional ties to Salt.
Flashback sequences showing the two together should have
been enough, but for me, something was missing. Maybe it
was just a matter of too little screen time; had he been
more actively involved, had he been given more dialogue,
something substantial could have developed. As it is, I
don't think anything of great importance would have been
lost if this character had been altogether removed. Let
the spider thing work itself in differently.***
We need another mindless action film about as much
as we need another reality show. But if they absolutely
have to be made, then "Salt" is a good indicator of what
they should be like. Yes, it's silly from start to finish.
Yes, it doesn't bother with anything that's even remotely
realistic. But boy, it certainly knows how to keep an audience
entertained. The action is plentiful. The mystery is engaging.
The characters are well-played. The suspense is palpable.
It's a lot of fun. And here I go again, sliding that entertainment
card from out my sleeve, slipping into a fairly weak hand.
Are we too easily amused?
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