Cruise was offered a script in 2007 for a film named Salt, to be directed by director Philip Noyce, best known for his adaptations of Clancy fare such as Clear And Present Danger and Patriot Games. He was initially enthusiastic, but eventually had to pull out due to other commitments - plus the fear that the role would be too similar to his Ethan Hunt character from the Mission: Impossible films. Which, to be fair, it is. That's not to say that the film rips off M:I in any way - they're suitably different enough as a whole - but there are definite comparisons between the characters of Salt and Hunt. So Cruise departed and Angelina Jolie was brought in to play the lead, now renamed Evelyn rather than Edwin. How did it turn out?
It's typical 'summer action' fare, but expertly done. From the first action section sequence ten minutes in (an explosive chase through the CIA cover building) to the final fistfight in the nuclear bunker deep beneath the White House, Salt grabs your attention and doesn't let go. While some may complain that the film simply descends into an endless chain of action/fight/chase sequences, they're all so engaging and expertly done that no-one should really care. And the plot is a cracker, too. Dealing with Russian sleeper agents embedded in the United States for years, it could hardly have come at a more appropriate time. Anna Chapman, though, only managed to infiltrate various banking and socialite circles (and more on that next week). Evelyn Salt, on the other hand, assassinates the Russian President! She is a Russian!
...Except, of course, it's not as simple as that. Salt is a Russian sleeper agent, yes, but she was turned at some point during an incarceration in North Korea and is now a true patriot of the CIA. She shoots the Russian President with dart venom from a spider (from her handy arachnid-loving husband), and then simply walks onto the barge where her fellow sleepers have congregated and, through a combination of grenades and machine guns, wipes them all out. It's quite a clever double-cross, and yet, strangely, I found myself rooting for Salt even when believeing she was a true Russian. That she isn't, of course, was the only way to bring the audience fully onside (and have any hope of getting a sequel greenlit), though it's an interesting subversion of the "innocent on the run" idea to have our heroine not be completely clean.
And that's not the only twist. In the final showdown it's revealed that Salt's superior, Winter, is also a Russian sleeper, only he's still dedicated to the cause. I shan't spoil how he dies, but Winter's reveal as a double is totally unexpected, and packs a good emotional punch. And it gives rise to some interesting real-life questions... if fictional agents such as Salt and Winter can rise so high in the CIA, what's the situation in the real world? It's this question that lies at the heart of the movie - the one of never quite knowing just who you can trust. The idea of the double agent is not a new one in spy movies, of course, but Salt spins it differently and succeeds admirably in standing out from the crowd. Direction is fast and fluid - Philip Noyce's best work to date. The script never talks down to us or patronises us. There's not a scene where the CIA laboriously work out that Salt is a Russian and rush to stop her before the assassination, it simply shows us Evelyn infiltrating the church and carrying out the (supposed) hit, allowing us to work out for ourselves the truth. It's a nice touch.
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Anna Chapman: ran a real-estate business Evelyn Salt: all-round ass-kicker
Continuing her run of action roles from Tomb Raider, Wanted and Mr and Mrs Smith, Jolie once again proves herself more than competent in the action heroine role. The melee fights are just as good as those conducted by Matt Damon or Daniel Craig (she performs almost all of the stunts herself). But Jolie doesn't just prove herself in the action sequences, she's able to handle the dramatic scenes just as well. The film doesn't quite require the huge emotional depth of performance of Jolie that A Mighty Heart or Changeling did, but she's nevertheless at the top of her game. There's a reason she's won an Oscar, after all.
Perfectly honestly, nobody else is given that much to do compared to Angelina, but the rest of the cast fill out their roles well. Liev Schreiber as the treacherous Winter comes into his own in the final bunker scenes, and it's interesting to remember his anguished confrontation with Salt after she's arrested for the assassination in light of the fact that he himself was in on it all along. Chiwetel Ejiofor as Peabody is solid as the man who never trusted Salt from the start, but by the end is the only one that believes in her innocence. I'd like to see him return in a possible sequel.
No-one else really sticks around long enough to make that much of an impact, although I'm going to give special mention to sleeper program directer Orlov, and give him a Largo Award (see previous post) for Bad Villainy. Orlov kicks off the film by walking into the CIA and declaring that Salt will attempt to assassinate the Russian President the next day. While this is perfectly true, and it sets up the first of several action sequences, there's really no need for Orlov to do this whatsoever. Salt knows her task, has known for twenty years, and isn't the type likely to forget. If Orlov had stayed dark for one more day, the CIA would never have chased Salt down in the first place and her mission would have been a whole lot simpler. Of course, this means that the first half-hour of the film wouldn't exist, so it's understandable why the scene was written (and excusable, since it's so good). But you can't help but wonder whether Orlov would truly jeopardise the long-awaited Day X for no apparent gain. But this complaint is, on the whole, very minor, and certainly doesn't detract from what is an all-round excellent film.
Comparisons are, of course, inevitable with the twin franchises of Bond and Bourne. And while Salt may not quite scale the heights of the latter trilogy, it's definately better than a fair few of the Bonds. The final scene also expertly sets up the prospect of a sequel - the re-doubled Evelyn, heading after the remainder of Orlov's 'children' while avoiding the CIA. A second film will in all likelihood depend on the return this one makes at the box office - so let's hope it's enough to convince the Suits at Columbia Pictures to invest their money in what has the potential to be an excellent spy franchise. Bond is bankrupt and Bourne is missing in action - perhaps it's time for Salt to take centre stage.
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