Salt

Angelina Jolie is my favorite, although Scarlett Johansson seems to be doing better lately. But I have to say that the movies Angie chooses, especially when it comes to action films, are not really miracles. On the contrary, they are usually not that great. Two movies from the "Tomb Raider" series immediately come to mind, which I really don't like. "Salt" is not such a bad movie, especially because the action scenes are quite well done, but the story that is presented to us... well, I have quite a problem with that. It's nothing more than a conspiracy within a conspiracy, which is mainly meant to distract the viewer from the real conspiracy. But considering that Angie is the main character, it's clear that she probably won't be the Russian spy, but will still be primarily interested in the well-being of her second nation, the United States of America. The screenplay is predictable, and I have to admit that I didn't enjoy it at all. Throughout the entire movie, the viewer is constantly fed with the feeling that this is something big, that it's about something grand, but in the end, it turns out that they are just being fed lies, so that everything ends in a simple revelation, which seemed like the only possible one anyway. Action and the disguises Angie changes into definitely earn some points, but the rest is nothing special. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/05/noc-patri-nam-voda-pro-slony-posledni.html (02/17/2013)

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)

I don't like it when someone copies scenes from my favorite films (Noyce is a terrible routinist) and it literally drives me crazy when I guess what’s going to happen after ten minutes and it comes to fruition (keep Wimmer at least ten miles away from Hollywood). Considering that not much more actually happens in the film, I have to wonder why I gave it a relatively high rating. (09/27/2010)

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 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)