...and we thought it was OK.
SPOILERS!!!!
Angelina Jolie was quite good in this open-ended flick that had some plot twists and an outcome that begged for and promises a sequel.
She showed some acting chops, gave her character interesting depth and I read she did many of the stunts, although a stunt double was listed for her in the closing credits.
I'll rate "Salt" about equal to any one of the Bourne Trilogy for entertainment value and possibly worth your screen or rental viewing, if you enjoy the genre.
The Link
On the negative side, I disliked how it got more and more implausible as it went on.
This is the route I expected this spy movie to take, but its beginning gave hints at how it could have continued in a more plausible mode.
If I'm watching a super hero movie, I enjoy the fantasy of super powers.
But I like my spy thrillers better when the spy is more human.
Constant, unbelievable, never ending good luck is actually a super power and IMO human spies in movies shouldn't have it.
Some good fortune for undercover agents who get exposed is cool, but come on.
Give me a little more realism.
For me, as a cinematic change, it would have been interesting to see a thriller/spy flick that got, imagine this, more and more plausible as things happened.
I refer to the way the iconic TV series "Mission: Impossible" was presented.
I use this aged TV series as my example not because it holds up great for today's viewer, but because its storytelling format is hopefully familiar:
The mission always seemed to be the most difficult, in fact, "Impossible," at the beginning and, as each episode went on and all the cleverness and skill, the contingency planning and the adaptative ability of the impossibly tasked team is revealed, the prospect of success actually grows.
There were still doubt and challenges and surprises throughout, but instead of total suspension of belief being required for the viewer to accept more and more favorable outcomes to endless feats of derring do, amazing car chases, unrealistic gunfights and being outnumbered time after time in personal combat against multiple opponents of comparable(?) training who often had more physical strength and/or numbers, the reaffirmation of good training, careful planning and open-minded, innovative good sense by the protagonist(s) was more on display.
The show made you see how it WAS possible.
Some movies of the genre are made this way, but more often the fast-moving, action-filled responses to ever increasing groups of antagonists (rather than mainly watching how a clever plan unfolds, is amended or unravels) is the way most of these screenplays are written.
"Salt" showed plenty of the skill and planning I've mentioned and advocate as being engaging, but it finally, IMHO, deteriorated into just another unbelievably fantastic, decent action movie in the end.
Yeah, I know: that's what it was intended to be, but the way Angelina opportunistically took care of the last bad guy when she was captured and chained near the end outshone all the unlikely, over the top, predictably perfect, bullet-dodging, car-crashing and kung fu fighting she did before.
Examples of good caper/spy movies that were a little more cerebral than the predominately explosive, chase 'em down, shoot 'em up flicks that are so prevalent now would be both versions of "The Thomas Crown Affair" or "The Manchurian Candidate," the classic "Topkapi," the best James Bond flick, IMO, "From Russia With Love," and perhaps even Mel Gibson's recent "Edge of Darkness."
It's all in the pathway or balance that the director, writer and actors choose to use cinematically.
I fully realize that "Salt" was made as a summertime, popcorn selling, action driven flick and it indeed succeeded in acceptably achieving that status.
I certainly got my money's worth.
But, at its beginning, I saw a fast, faint, flickering flash of something different.
Not necessarily something better, just something different.
I thought "Inception" had another movie premise that offered a definite opportunity for a more memorable film than its moviemakers chose to make.
But I've already explained about that and it's just my opinion.
After a lifetime of moviegoing I easily recognize and remember what I think are the better and, for me, the more satisfying and enduring cinematic experiences.
Not every motion picture is made (or needs to be made) with "loftier" creative goals in mind and, of course, even fewer flicks realize such excellence.
But I indeed do notice and appreciate whenever that does occur and, as I felt about both "Salt" and "Inception," when the chance is there.
SPOILERS!!!!
Angelina Jolie was quite good in this open-ended flick that had some plot twists and an outcome that begged for and promises a sequel.
She showed some acting chops, gave her character interesting depth and I read she did many of the stunts, although a stunt double was listed for her in the closing credits.
I'll rate "Salt" about equal to any one of the Bourne Trilogy for entertainment value and possibly worth your screen or rental viewing, if you enjoy the genre.
The Link
On the negative side, I disliked how it got more and more implausible as it went on.
This is the route I expected this spy movie to take, but its beginning gave hints at how it could have continued in a more plausible mode.
If I'm watching a super hero movie, I enjoy the fantasy of super powers.
But I like my spy thrillers better when the spy is more human.
Constant, unbelievable, never ending good luck is actually a super power and IMO human spies in movies shouldn't have it.
Some good fortune for undercover agents who get exposed is cool, but come on.
Give me a little more realism.
For me, as a cinematic change, it would have been interesting to see a thriller/spy flick that got, imagine this, more and more plausible as things happened.
I refer to the way the iconic TV series "Mission: Impossible" was presented.
I use this aged TV series as my example not because it holds up great for today's viewer, but because its storytelling format is hopefully familiar:
The mission always seemed to be the most difficult, in fact, "Impossible," at the beginning and, as each episode went on and all the cleverness and skill, the contingency planning and the adaptative ability of the impossibly tasked team is revealed, the prospect of success actually grows.
There were still doubt and challenges and surprises throughout, but instead of total suspension of belief being required for the viewer to accept more and more favorable outcomes to endless feats of derring do, amazing car chases, unrealistic gunfights and being outnumbered time after time in personal combat against multiple opponents of comparable(?) training who often had more physical strength and/or numbers, the reaffirmation of good training, careful planning and open-minded, innovative good sense by the protagonist(s) was more on display.
The show made you see how it WAS possible.
Some movies of the genre are made this way, but more often the fast-moving, action-filled responses to ever increasing groups of antagonists (rather than mainly watching how a clever plan unfolds, is amended or unravels) is the way most of these screenplays are written.
"Salt" showed plenty of the skill and planning I've mentioned and advocate as being engaging, but it finally, IMHO, deteriorated into just another unbelievably fantastic, decent action movie in the end.
Yeah, I know: that's what it was intended to be, but the way Angelina opportunistically took care of the last bad guy when she was captured and chained near the end outshone all the unlikely, over the top, predictably perfect, bullet-dodging, car-crashing and kung fu fighting she did before.
Examples of good caper/spy movies that were a little more cerebral than the predominately explosive, chase 'em down, shoot 'em up flicks that are so prevalent now would be both versions of "The Thomas Crown Affair" or "The Manchurian Candidate," the classic "Topkapi," the best James Bond flick, IMO, "From Russia With Love," and perhaps even Mel Gibson's recent "Edge of Darkness."
It's all in the pathway or balance that the director, writer and actors choose to use cinematically.
I fully realize that "Salt" was made as a summertime, popcorn selling, action driven flick and it indeed succeeded in acceptably achieving that status.
I certainly got my money's worth.
But, at its beginning, I saw a fast, faint, flickering flash of something different.
Not necessarily something better, just something different.
I thought "Inception" had another movie premise that offered a definite opportunity for a more memorable film than its moviemakers chose to make.
But I've already explained about that and it's just my opinion.
After a lifetime of moviegoing I easily recognize and remember what I think are the better and, for me, the more satisfying and enduring cinematic experiences.
Not every motion picture is made (or needs to be made) with "loftier" creative goals in mind and, of course, even fewer flicks realize such excellence.
But I indeed do notice and appreciate whenever that does occur and, as I felt about both "Salt" and "Inception," when the chance is there.
