This is a man's world, and female actors are bravely living in one of the most male-centric industries in the country. What I enjoyed most about Salt is that though the film was originally made for a man (apparently Tom Cruise was offered the role), making Salt a woman adds much more to the film. I think that if a male actor had been cast, Salt would be lost in the shadow of Minority Report and The Bourne Identity.
If you've seen the trailer, you know the plot is quite simple: Evelyn Salt is a CIA agent who is accused of being a Russian spy. Not much else matters in this plot, as the action does most of the talking. Whether Salt is framed or actually a member of a KGB special unit is ambiguous for most of the film as Salt does many things not wise to do if you want people to believe you're the good guy. Jolie's stunt work (mostly done by the woman herself) is alone enough to see Salt. Most physical exertions look effortless, and the special effects are not enough to remove viewers from the film. This is a well-made action movie, plain and simple.
My only problem with the film technically lies with the choices made by the makeup department. The film revolves around Salt's race to escape the CIA, extending for what seems like several days at least. She suffers wounds, jumps down an elevator shaft, and only once seems to stop for rest. Toward the end of her "mission," the woman still has lip gloss on. LIP GLOSS. If you know anything about lip gloss, you know it stays on for ten minutes at most. And I am expected to believe that after barely stopping to sleep for days on end Evelyn Salt pauses before her next shootout to apply her favorite product from Revlon's cosmetic line? Girl, please.
Okay, moving on.
For the role of Evelyn Salt, Angelina Jolie is the only woman I can imagine playing such a tough character. Salt is in the same vein as her past roles Mrs. Smith and Lara Croft. Jolie appeals to both men and women; her exotic beauty appeals to men, and her feminine roughness appeals to women. However, what I liked most about the character is her departure from the typical "sexy spy" Bond girl type. Evelyn Salt is not sexy or a seductress to get what she wants, she instead uses her intelligence and skills. It's less about how she looks, and more about how far she will go.
As for the supporting cast, August Diehl is a particularly pleasant addition in his role as Evelyn Salt's devoted husband. This character starkly contrasts his previous performance in Inglorious Basterds (you might remember him as the Nazi officer who points out that Europeans show three with their fingers differently than Americans do.) In the short time he is on the screen in either film, Diehl makes an impact. Personally, I just like how he looks on film and I hope he stars in more American films in the future. Liev Schreiber also appears in a particularly large role as another CIA agent, but his performance isn't particularly memorable.
In fact, this is the very reason I believe Salt will not perform well at the box office this summer: it is not memorable. I find this issue particularly disappointing. Salt is a well-made action movie starring (gasp!) a woman, but it still fails to bring anything new to talk about. Following the well-received Inception may be the kiss of death for Salt, but I do hope Hollywood casting directors will take notice of how much a female can bring to this genre.
★★★
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