Leading up to its release, Salt seemed to possess a near-perfect formula for success. Angelina Jolie is easily one of the most gorgeous women to walk this planet, and she is well-known for taking action-oriented roles that seek to dazzle movie-goers; her work in Tomb Raider, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and Wanted being the most obvious examples. Now Sony Pictures Entertainment (Columbia Pictures’ parent company) was going to give Jolie a title role in a spy-thriller that had the potential to turn her into the female Jason Bourne of Hollywood. Early trailers teased a mix of action and mystery as viewers watched Jolie engage in some high-risk stunts, but were left questioning exactly where her character’s loyalties were truly aligned. There seemed to be enough here to please fans of the action and spy genres, along with any red-blooded male who finds Angelina Jolie the least bit attractive, so I was understandably excited to see Salt.
Unfortunately, despite its massive potential, Salt almost completely misses the mark, resulting in a ludicrous entry in the spy genre that few will ever be able to take seriously. The plot itself stretches logic, but several specific plot elements are simply too unbelievable. As for the action scenes and stunts, some are downright absurd; sure, they would have been fine if Jolie’s character was supposed to be superhuman, but sadly the laws of physics still apply to the film’s human characters. Several critics have forgiven the unrealistic nature of Salt, encouraging audiences to suspend disbelief; I would agree with these critics if Salt was meant to be a spoof or a comic-book film, but nothing about the film suggests that audiences were ever meant to regard Salt as anything less than a legitimate and serious spy-thriller. As a leading lady, Angelina Jolie is the only saving grace of Salt, as she is entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable to watch on-screen; but had any other actress been cast as the lead, I feel that Salt would have been nothing short of an epic failure. For those expecting a new Jason Bourne franchise, I regret telling you that Salt will be a thoroughly disappointing experience; Angelina Jolie fans will love watching her for just over an hour-and-a-half, but that single positive aspect cannot forgive the laundry list of errors in this summer film.
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Overall Recommendation: Low
