We went to see the new Angelina Jolie film, SALT yesterday.
It was way over the top with action stunts; the plot had some major twists that make you go, “hmm”, and characters changed sides faster than you can blink an eye.
Still, if you check your reality meter in the cloakroom at the door, it is a fun action film.
I didn’t understand:
Why Salt was even needed for the White House attack. Tomas made sure the President was taken to the bunker and Winter made sure he launched the missiles. Salt poking around just seemed like a distraction.
Did I miss something?
My understanding:
I believe bad guy at the end stated that she was just going to be the “fall guy” so to speak, and blame everything on her. That is why she was brought there.
The plot twists were unexpected and, compared to more recent films in this genre, the action sequences were pretty easy to follow which made it more interesting. Jolie was very good in the role, though you could tell it was originally written for Cruise.
I realize it’s all fantasy, but I had some “suspension of disbelief” issues:
When Jason Bourne drives a car off of a parking structure and falls 30+ feet, they show him bracing himself and he at least looks a bit haggard as he exits the vehicle… Are we to expect that Salt could survive this fall while handcuffed and leaning over the back seat, and jump up and walk away without a scratch?
I have to say that the concept of training a bunch of pre-pubescent kids to be moles and then placing them in a foreign culture to go through their cultural and social maturation years, expecting that any of them will be focused on, or care one whit, the goals they were “programmed” for as small children? Gimme a break…
and finally,
In the end, it seems that there’s no point in convincing Peabody of her intentions: her side of the story becomes a lot more credible when the President regains consciousness. Though he had no reason to believe that she was a good guy, he would certainly testify that Ted Winter was the one who killed everyone in the bunker.
My wife and I just saw it, and we were talking about how, in real lifeit’d be more like the Russian spies they found recently, who embedded into American life but didn’t really do much of jack squat while they were here, perhaps getting soft and comfy living in the US. “Day X? But my kids have soccer practice!” 
But we liked it a lot–lots of good (and relative to most anything else this summer) credible action, a fun story that kept you on your toes, and some well-executed setpieces. Though Liev Schreiber was a pretty early giveaway as a probable mole.
I thought Peabody would also turn out to be a plant; wasn’t there a black kid in the background during the spy school/orphanage shots? I was also suprised that the Russian President turned up alive and the end. I don’t think that was necessary. Given that Russia’s current president is basically a puppet for Vladimir Putin I have an easier time buying that who ever’s running Russia from behind the scenes is willing to simply sacrifice a figurehead than them taking a chance that Salt would on her own decide to use a spider venom to fake his death.
They were willing to sacrifice a figurehead. Salt was supposed to kill him as part of the plot. It never occurred to them that she would be anything other than a good little comrade.
Of course it was necessary:
She’s not the good guy if she actually follows through and kills the guy. Note that she isn’t actually shown killing anyone, except for the other Russian bad guys.
She beats the crap out of everyone she encounters, and outside of the movies most of those car crashes aren’t survivable. She’s got the drop on Peabody but he’s got a gun. She gives herself up b/c she doesn’t have the option of knocking him out from 10-20 feet away.
*except for Poor Bastard Cop, aka the most tazered-man in movie history. After a while, that just got funny in an OTT way.
Damnit! :smack: You’re right of course. :o
Yeah, the studio is clearly hoping for a female spy franchise. Maybe I’m a nihilist, but I think it’d been more interesting for the missles to Mecca & Tehran to have actually been launched at the last minute. Granted it would lead to a very different sequel than anything planned for this. 
Just got back from seeing this. Fun movie. I agree with the above comments–it’s not very realistic how much she survives without injury, but once you accept that this is going to be that kind of movie, you can sit back and enjoy the ride.
I especially enjoyed the scene where she
strangles Winter by leaping over the railing.
None of the “twists” surprised me that much, but I actually appreciated that it was a fairly straightforward action/thriller.
I’d pay to see a sequel.
Yeah, I didn’t hate it. As you say, not too much surprised me, but it was a summer action flick.
Has Liev Schreiber ever played anyone but a villain? I couldn’t get into the movie very much because I just *knew * that person would turn out to be a bad guy.
I found the whole White House sequence to be so over the top that I couldn’t suspend my disbelief. Lots of eye-rolling during what I assume was supposed to be an intense climax.
I hated when she used the taser to control the driver of the car. Come on. Being shocked makes you stomp your foot down?
I think the biggest moment of disbelief for me was she jumped from the helicopter into the Potomac (right?) and didn’t get hypothermia and drown. I mean there was snow on the ground, the water had to be freezing, and she was in it for a long enough time as she had to make it to shore.
But I had gone in expecting little except to be entertained and it did that, so good job.
I’ll admit to be easily confused by movies nowadays, so would someone please explain to me how come
Peabody let Salt escape at the end.
Because he realized she had saved the world and that by letting her go she’d continue to hunt down remaining members of the organization that killed her husband.
My husband & I saw it Saturday night & it pretty much kept us quiet for an hour-and-a-half. As had been said here, it was a fun action movie if you can suspend disbelief.
Now, I want to know if Sasha & Malia have asked Dad if they can have a slumber party in the White House bunker. How fun would THAT be?
So, does AJ get nekkid or anything in this flick? That’s the only possible potentially interesting thing about it. (I saw them doing some filming one day at L’Enfant Plaza, and no she wasn’t nekkid).
No, she doesn’t get nekkid.