Movie Review: Salt

In less experienced hands, Salt could've easily turned into another block in the pile of bland Hollywood action films that movie-going audiences all over the world are fed on a yearly basis. But in the hands of Philip Noyce, this run-of-the-mill story about a CIA agent on the run turns into an action thriller that hits the ground running, and doesn't stop until the end credits start rolling in.

Noyce paces the film in such an expertly brisk manner, in fact, that it gets away with having a rather preposterous plot. While watching, it's hard to care if the story's core conspiracy can pass off as believeable; all we really want to know is how its title's character is going to play out her next move, and what awaits her right after that.

This, however, cannot be credited to Noyce alone. Angelina Jolie puts in a solid performance as the fierce and decisive Agent Salt. In an age where these kinds of roles are usually written with male actors in mind, it's refreshing to see one of the ladies run, punch and gun like the best of them; it's even more refreshing to not see her overly sexualized. Sure, Jolie is easy on the eyes, but as opossed to her roles in films like Wanted and Tomb Raider -- where she's seen wearing all sorts of sexy attires, or none at all -- here, we only see her scantily clad in one scene, a torture scene.

It's not often that we get an action blockbuster with a strong -- and properly clothed -- female protagonist; it's even more rare that it's this expertly executed. Sure, the silly plot might prevent it from being in the same rank as other politically charged action thrillers -- such as Paul Greengrass' excellent Green Zone -- but with its strong female lead and its excellently crafted -- and non-CG -- action sequences, you could do quite a bit worse than Salt this summer.

Score: 4 out of 5
Confused about our scoring system? Read this explanation.