The one thing I kept focusing on during my viewing of Salt was that this movie was written specifically with the idea that Tom Cruise would be playing the lead role. Instead, Cruise opted to co-star with Cameron Diaz in the romantic adventure Knight and Day. And while Knight and Day was pleasantly entertaining and a movie I recommend, Cruise would have preferred to have Salt in his filmography rather than Knight and Day. I believe he took Knight and Day because the role allowed him to be a quirky, jovial type of character and also because many might identify Salt as a Mission Impossible franchise movie.

But back to the topic, Salt is an effective, albeit entirely unrealistic, movie about a 30-plus-year-old CIA operative named Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie – Girl Interrupted, Tomb Raider) accused of being a Russian spy by a Russian defector. Evelyn quickly denies these allegations. However, her accuser successfully passes a variety of lie tests, so her co-workers become suspicious and promptly try to detain her until they can figure the situation out. Evelyn, however, is not happy to hear this and fears that she and her fiance might be in danger. She diffuses her current situation and goes on the run, using her experience and skills as a covert CIA operative to escape capture by the same country she spent years protecting.

As Evelyn attempts to prove her innocence, some of her actions cast doubt on who she really is. Is she a CIA operative, as she claims, or is she a Russian spy? These questions are all handled in due time and in a way that might be foreseeable only because Angelina Jolie is the star. You might feel a bit lost during this game of cat and mouse for a while as the various events unfold, but your focus will remain. And rest assured, everything will be successfully explained to you in the end.

Without giving anything away, pay particular attention to Evelyn’s fiance when watching this movie. And then, after your viewing, you can decide if you think that the relationship between Evelyn and her fiance is just as strong, stronger, or not as strong as it might have been had Salt been played by Tom Cruise and the fiance had been a woman. It’s an interesting comparison to make. Personally, in the sense of the relationship, I would have connected with Salt more had he been played by Cruise. However, I believe that because I am a guy. I still felt the relationship was strong, and the love between the two characters was genuine.

Phillip Noyce directed the movie. Noyce also directed 1989’s Dead Calm (Nicole Kidman, Sam Neil), a somewhat under-appreciated film that has stood the test of time. If you have yet to see Dead Calm, I’d recommend it over Salt. Noyce also directed Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. Liev Schreiber (Defiance, The Manchurian Candidate) also stars in Salt.

Plot 8/10
Character Development 6.5/10
Character Chemistry 7/10
Acting 7/10
Screenplay 7/10
Directing 7/10
Cinematography 7/10
Sound 7/10
Hook and Reel 8/10
Universal Relevance 4/10
68.5%