☆ Movie Review - SALT

By Loong Wai Ting (www.voize.my)

DESPITE its predictable story and at times unconvincing plot, Salt is still a fun movie to watch.Salt also works because people actually don’t mind paying to watch Angelina Jolie kick some butts, and many butts does she kick. The movie proves that Jolie still has the “it” factor to be in the spotlight as a female action lead. Or put another way — the moment she’s onscreen, she commands.

All the while, we’ve been fed with a steady diet of spy movies – and each time, we expect them to be greater than the previous. There’s the Bond franchise, the most exciting espionage series of movies; then the Bourne Trilogy that put Matt Damon’s name on the Hollywood A-list, and last but not least, who can forget Ethan Hunt and his exploding glasses from Mission Impossible?

While Salt tries to be as old school as possible, there are certain areas where it’s a little too over the top, and fails to come across as convincing for the adventurous but discerning viewer. Take for example, Salt’s superhuman feat in scaling the exterior of her apartment and building a bazooka with cleaning supplies to driving around by way of using a Taser gun (oh, trust me, you’ll be impressed) — it’s all just so uh?-ma-zing!

Salt is choppy most of the time. Many areas are left undeveloped, mostly the characters. Saving these for a sequel perhaps? The effects are nowhere near awesome but the cinematography is just great.

Angelina Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a CIA officer who swore an oath to honour and do her duty by her country. When she is being accused by a Russian defector of being a spy, Salt goes on the run to clear her name, ultimately proving that she is a patriot. By using her skills and years of experience as a secret agent, she must protect those whom she loves from powerful forces, who want to erase any trace of her existence.

All in all, Salt is passable for an action movie. If you like to see Jolie running around as in her days as the Tomb Raider, you might love Evelyn Salt too. As light entertainment and an action flick, Salt will keep you in your seat.