Salt leaves a bad taste

Angelina Jolie stars as Evelyn Salt in Columbia Pictures' contemporary action thriller SALT. Photo AAP.

ONE might think that having a female lead in Salt would give it a gentler edge – but not so. From the opening scene it is obvious the whole thing is going to be overtly violent.

The unnecessarily graphic killings are not what you'd expect from a lady – even if it is Angelina Jolie.

The redeeming factor of Salt is that for the first half of its running time, it is unpredictable and the audience is left asking “who is Salt?”

What we do know is that Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is a CIA agent who has been ousted by a Russian defector as a Russian sleeper spy.

After the accusation, Salt goes on the run from her CIA colleagues, presumably admitting her guilt.

She claims she is trying to save her husband, yet that doesn't stop her from going after the Russian and American presidents as well, leading the CIA believe that she is indeed a Russian spy.

The action throughout is at times very unbelievable, but if you can cope with the over-the-top mindless violence, it is a fast-paced and exciting as any other action flick you will see at the cinemas.

It has been widely publicised that this film was originally intended for Tom Cruise to be in the role of Edwin Salt.

While the transformation of the character into a female does add a unique twist, and there are some flashbacks to her softer side, in the end Salt really isn't a character you can get emotionally attached to.

Which is a major hurdle considering the whole movie is centred around her.

And to top it all off, the ending was left open for a sequel, and whether a sequel will go ahead or not, it could have been tied up a lot nicer at the end.

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