Salt

Easily the best action film not directed by Christopher Nolan to come around in quite some time, Salt follows the title character (Angelina Jolie’s Evelyn Salt) as she’s forced to go on the run after she’s accused of being a Russian spy – with the movie subsequently (and primarily) revolving around Salt’s ongoing efforts at evading several dogged agents (including Liev Schreiber’s Ted Winter and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Peabody). Director Phillip Noyce does a fantastic job of initially drawing the viewer into the unabashedly ridiculous narrative, as the filmmaker, working from a script by Kurt Wimmer, effectively elevates the material with a series of superbly conceived and executed action sequences. The entertainingly mindless atmosphere is hindered only by the presence of a few plot holes that are, admittedly, rendered moot once certain third act revelations kick in, while Jolie’s expectedly distant performance sporadically prevents the viewer from wholeheartedly connecting with her character’s plight (which does seem to be Wimmer’s goal, however, as Salt’s true nature isn’t entirely revealed until the finale). By the time the propulsive, unexpectedly captivating final half hour rolls around, Salt has established itself as more than just another run-of-the-mill actioner designed to placate indiscriminate summer audiences – as the movie is often as thrilling dramatically as it is viscerally.

***1/2 out of ****