I’m still trying to decide what about “Salt” annoyed me more, the goofy turn of events in the second half that had me gawking in sheer disbelief, or the insistence by the writers to include an ending that fades to black right in the middle of a big turn of events as if to leave a “To Be Continued” assuring audiences that there will be a sequel. Not only is this trend absolutely obnoxious (I pay to see whole movies, not parts of movies), but if there really is no sequel to “Salt” (god willing), then the entire closing scene is just a pointless wide open door left for us to presume what occurred after the writers decided we’d had enough story for now.
“Salt” is a film with an interesting concept and a fascinating catch to it that lays out its prologue almost like a big “gotcha!” to the audience that insists we should stay and watch for curiosity’s sake. It presumes to have a good idea and has a respectable set up to the events that occur, but then just doesn’t know what to do once Salt is on the run. It ultimately proves to be just another dunderheaded vehicle in the Jolie legacy that will not guarantee her any place in film history any time soon. Taking a break from changing the world one movie at a time, “Salt” is Jolie’s very own “Bourne Identity” where she plays Evelyn Salt, a woman who works for the CIA and is part of a team who interrogates Russian spies.
The film literally screeches to a halt in the first ten minutes to deliver the basic set-up for Salt’s fiasco of identities. We learn in a thorough back story that there is a sector of Russian spies who are taught to look and act American and are sent in to America to break the system down and wreak total havoc and blend in with the masses. Salt is then pointed at by a Russian spy as a mole for the sector, and in a hasty move, goes on the run from her office to find her husband who she believes is in mortal danger. The entire catch of the first half of the movie is: Is Salt actually a Russian spy and doesn’t know it? Is Salt a Russian spy and is just really good at faking ignorance?
Is she being confused for another spy? Did someone in the CIA set her up to take a fall? Is she running to save her husband or in a sub-conscious tactic to save herself? In either case “Salt” could be a genuinely ingenious spy thriller with a surprise twist but is much too reliant on absurd action sequences and the goofy finale to deliver a female version of Jason Bourne. Salt is a lame heroine who possesses amazing superhuman abilities, and even manages to break her way out of a police car thanks to a group of moronic officers. Salt is so crafty, we’re told, that she is even able to make a police officer drive the car by tazing him over and over, which incidentally makes him twitch his leg pushing down on the gas.
Very convenient. The remainder of “Salt” after the big chase and shoot portion is over is a muddled mess where the big reveal is offered up too early, there’s a really idiotic undercover scene featuring Jolie and a rubber mask, and there is yet another big twist that, if you’ve seen most of Liev Schreiber’s films, is not a surprise at all. To make it even more criminal, director Noyce actually turns Chiwetel Ejiofor in to a ham taking a great actor and just encouraging him to chew the scenery as much as humanly possible. I’ve displayed immense faith in Jolie’s abysmal line up of projects before, and after “Salt” I think it’s about time I stopped giving her the benefit of the doubt. I think all things considered it’s about time I stopped wasting time on Angelina Jolie’s vehicles and pursue other more valuable investments in my time. “Salt” has sheer promise from the beginning but wastes it on a muddled, ridiculous, and absolutely comedic final half that is based around the open ended climax gimmick that studios never seem to be tired of these days.