Salt: Been there, Seen that.

When she is accused of being a Russian sleeper spy by a defector, CIA agent Evelyn Salt goes on the run and tries to stay ahead of the Government agents who are pursuing her. In her quest to clear her name she uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to push America and Russia to the edge of war.

Who is Evelyn Salt? This was the question that was posed throughout the film and the plot device that drove the story forward. For the most part however, Salt wanted the audience to be aware of this storyline only on the surface and chose to focus more on the number of ways that Angelina Jolie could look badass either by utilizing heavy weaponry or punching someone’s teeth out. Jolie pulled off the physical stuff without breaking much of a sweat, making Evelyn Salt the kind of female CIA agent you did not want to cross paths with, but her story and her efforts to clear her name, save her husband and unmask the true conspiracy behind why she was accused of being a Russian spy got lost in the shuffle of fist-fights, car chases and other action sequences that the audience had seen before (and in better movies). Without that emotional core to the story, the film just felt like another mindless actioner and Salt's quest, while visually thrilling, rang hollow. An example of this would be Salt's relationship with her husband Michael. The audience was never shown the particulars of that relationship (because trust me, they didn’t just meet up via eharmony) so when his ultimate fate was revealed, their reaction was undoubtedly like Salt’s (unemotional and uninterested).

There was a definite feeling of “been there, done that” after the credits started rolling on Salt so if you are looking for a half-hearted attempt at an action thriller that will deliver at least entertainment on the surface, check it out.

Grade: C