Salt

If it wasn't for the ridiculously overwrought ending, which in my opinion doesn't make sense even if you watched the movie several times in a row, it would be a pretty decent action ride. Despite what the trailer may imply, Phillip Noyce maintains his restrained action and dynamic storytelling. Angelina Jolie is surprisingly cool and some of the acrobatic stunts are also acceptable. It's a classic cat and mouse game (an unjustly accused person fleeing from everyone, trying to prove their innocence), but it's still entertaining. You can definitely see the 110 million budget, unfortunately the screenwriter had a weak moment, but that's generally expected with stuff like this these days. I don't believe anyone expects a brilliantly crafted plot from this genre. (09/10/2010)

The script for Salt probably lay somewhere in a dusty drawer of a Hollywood studio for a few decades because not only its theme but also its spirit belongs to the times of the hardest Cold War and is more paranoid than most famous propaganda films of that time. According to its author, NATO and the USA are crawling with super-secret Russian agents in high positions, including the position of the American president. The main protagonist is a product of women's emancipation and the gender movement to such an extent that she not only equals but also easily outperforms James Bond, so it is no problem for her to eliminate the security of both the Russian and American presidents, storm the heavily guarded bunker where the American president is supposed to take shelter in case of a nuclear conflict, and, above all, she takes down dozens of agents of various kinds. The action is not bad, and I consider it considerably of a higher quality and more entertaining than, for example, The Expendables. But in order for me to actually like this film, it would have to stop pretending to be so serious and stylize itself more into the form of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. But everything is taken deadly seriously and for real, which sounds incredibly foolish with such absurd exaggeration. Average action films are more realistic than this, and on top of that, while Angelina Jolie fits perfectly with her appearance to portray glamorous ladies, I would rather tend to believe in Craig as a super assassin. Overall impression: 25%. (03/10/2011)

Well, my friends... I had a good time watching it. Phillip Noyce definitely knows what he's doing, he plays with the action scenes (who cares about Angelina acting like a terminator?) and the film actually goes from the beginning to the end in a sympathetic way and doesn't stop... But the script! Oh, God! In the name of unexpected twists and turns, there is so much ridiculousness going on in Salt that even common sense can’t figure it out. If only everything wasn't trying to be so serious. That’s too bad. I round up two and a half stars for the choice of the actors and the good music, which, although it doesn't get your attention when listened to alone, fits the film. I'd like to see a sequel... (12/26/2010)

The premise of Russian spies trained in the X-men style seems dated and naïve and prevents the film from engaging the audience with its realism, which is a key weapon of modern (Bourne-like) espionage thrillers. However, Phillip Noyce does an even better job with action scenes and a fast pace than in Patriot Games, and when you see Angelina Jolie, with or without panties, you won’t really care what it’s all about. (08/13/2010)

The only win of this movie is Angelina Jolie. Once again she is sexy, tough, and subtle. She shines again. It's just...the movie didn't take me any deeper and unfortunately I didn't believe it. In the beginning, Ev is a bit of a bum who has no idea how to act, where to kick and punch. And look! Suddenly he beats the crap out of four gorillas with his bare hands, kills the Russian president, and turns the whole world upside down. I found the script half-baked and copy-pasted. (06/08/2011)