Salt

Well, we will be discussing Salt today...
And...in MUCH less detail.
So,


SALT-with Angelina Jolie as Salt and Liev Schreiber as Ted Winter
dir. Phillip Noyce 2010


The trailers weren't very inspiring to a college graduate and probably her age group in general. They were cheesy and auspicious and made you feel like they were trying to do something cool and fun, but failed miserably. One such trailer acted as if it was a real news release and Salt was trying to get a message to the public for help. In reality, well the reality of the film anyway, she isn't that sappy and doesn't ever directly address the public.


Salt is more of a silent, brooding character that you can't quite figure out till the very end....and even then you don't know what she was thinking and when. Her demeanor however, the swashbuckling badassedness that comes with movies like Tomb Raider and Mr. and Mrs. Smith in association with Jolie was terribly prevalent. But instead of the over the top way we were expecting due to the trailers, it was appropriate and the expected amount of gun fire and kick-butt girl attitude.


In order to disguise herself more, Salt changes her hair somewhere in the middle of the film, thus signifying her transformation. But really I think it's the mourning of her husband's death she knows will happen. I feel her blonde innocence has left and the mourning harsh view of life sets in with the black hair as a foreshadowing of what will come.


Liev plays a complex double agent as well, but in the end Jolie plays a triple agent where she really is playing for the US, but in order to do so, she must be considered a Russian spy. Liev (Winter), we find out later, is a Russian spy, and were going to blame Salt for all the trouble and war he tries to cause. However, in the nick of time...of course....Salt stops him from nuclear explosions in all the important countries to kill 2 million people, and still blames Salt for all the damage. He gets his comeuppance though, by none other then Salt. She escapes with the aid of the character most trepeditious about her identity, in order to get the rest of the Russian spies infiltrating all of the US government.


In the end, I'm left with a few questions. Are we really that mad at Russia still? Is her being a triple agent excuse Russians being the villains? What does this triple agent crossover business say about American and Russian, and therefore any race mutt or anyone in reference to identity?


Alright...there's my Salt review. Have at it, and please comment. Thanks.


M.K.