K.C.

Insane. Insane in the best possible way. These words come to mind when watching Angelina Jolie’s new action thriller “Salt”. Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent accused of being a Russian spy. While we have all seen the Cold War spy movies, “Salt” manages to offer a new twist.

Without giving too much of the plot away, a Russian spy walks into a concealed CIA office and tells the story of spy program. Russian children were raised to be Americans, taught English as their mother tongue and then brought to the U.S. at a young age, as sleeper spies. Now, these sleeper spies will awaken and fulfill their mission. Or so he says.

The action sequences keep you on the edge of your seat, while the plot makes “Salt” more than ‘just’ an action movie. You never quite know who is on which side and even when you do, the story still pulls you in completely.

The pacing of the movie is well done, with the action being fairly fast-paced, but not too fast to make your head spin. Many action movies face the problem of being un-realistic. While the plot might seem unbelievable, the movie manages to convince the viewer.

Jolie, who by now is considered THE female actions star, shows once again why she deserves this title. Originally, the script was written for Tom Cruise as the main character, but he declined. The character was then re-written for a woman and Jolie stepped up. Knowing this, it is hard to imagine Cruise doing even remotely as good as a job as Jolie did. It is reported that she did most of her stunts herself, which is easy to believe when you look at the paparazzi shots from filming.

But not only Jolie shines in this movie, Liev Schreiber convinces in his part of the other CIA agent as well. The entire cast does a good job, but Jolie overshadows them all.

“Salt” makes for great entertainment with a strong and smart female lead, who carries this movie effortlessly.