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3 Stars

No matter how hard the ads try to suggest that Angelina Jolie’s character Evelyn Salt, in the new film of the same name, is possibly a ‘double agent’ working for Russian Intelligence no movie-goer whose ever seen a political action thriller before will be surprised to figure out that she’s really an ‘ex operative’ wrongly accused with only a limited amount of time to clear her name before all hell breaks loose. The surprise is how believable and comfortable Jolie is as an action heroine, she more than holds her own here. Especially after an extended torture sequence in the film’s opening act.

Director Phillip Noyce delivers the crackling action in a clear visual style that never disorients or cheats the audience of seeing some of the best stunt work of the current season. The film’s 100minute running time flies by as the pic turns into a chase film in the tradition of ‘The Fugutive‘ with a little ‘Bourne‘ and some of the low tech gadgetry of ‘M:I‘ thrown-in to appeal to those franchise’s audiences. Liev Schreiber even gets in on the fun, displaying his physical prowess in an amusing (yet absurd) fight sequence near the end of the pic. Jolie has possibly set herself up for a franchise here, and with no new ‘Bourne‘ or James Bond film on the horizon that may not be such a bad thing.

Director: Phillip Noyce
Stars: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor