Originally intended as a star vehicle for Tom Cruise, this is a film I'd never have bothered with had it not been re-worked to star Angelina Jolie... and then I only watched it because I like (some) action films and thought it might be interesting to see a mainstream action movie with a female lead. I was just hoping it wouldn't be anything along the terrible lines of the dismal Tomb Raider films.
Although the plot's tenuous basis in the notion of Russian sleeper agents put in place in the Cold War coming to life in 2010 is, frankly, ridiculous, the film certainly had its moments, and was fun to watch, and very well made in terms of editing, pace and structure. It had the pace and flow of skillfully edited and snappily scripted mainstream action films such as Speed and The Bourne Identity, and in fact had something of the Bourne Identity about it, too, in terms of characterisation and plot. Its twists and turns weren't entirely surprising, as with Bourne - but their basis in character rather than plot made them engaging and not entirely unconvincing(!), and anyway even when they seemed a little silly, the pace and impressive nature of the film's visuals kept laughter at bay!
What interested me most was the way in which Jolie was shot as well as characterised: for a start, it was refreshing not to have the endless close-ups typical of a Cruise star vehicle (does the man's egoism know no bounds?), and it was also refreshing and a huge relief to have Jolie shot and costumed not to make a spectacle of her femininity, but as many action stars are - as an impressive and attractive individual, whose physical prowess we can enjoy and admire even when he or she is fully clothed, and even in disguise! Jolie in fact stayed more clothed than many a male action star, and wore clothes with some basis in reality, which made her look stylish and active, rather than like a chest on legs (a la Tomb Raider). This was good to see - as was the impressive and convincing fight choreography, which was not only visually great, but took on board Jolie's comparative lightness, choreographing moves that someone of her height and build might actually need to employ in order to deliver, for instance, an effective kick. With her building momentum by using walls and spin, the overall effect was convincing and flashy, too - evoking The Matrix in its use of overcoats, at times!
Interestingly, it's reported that Jolie refused to have her character written as the mother of a child, as was in the original script for a male lead: she argued - persuavively, I think - that while a CIA operative might well be convinced to put a spouse at risk, as evidenced as a concern in Salt, she would not do the same to a child - as a child cannot make the same choice as a partner can, to be part of a spy's life. The fact that Salt (Jolie) and her future spouse are seen - if very briefly - to discuss the fact that a life together will involve risks for him rings true, too, and makes the events of the film, and Salt's responses to them, more convincingly established in the story world (whether or not one thinks that world has much to do with the reality of the CIA at all!).
Overall, Salt gives the impression of not overly sexualising its protagonist, and not having its plot revolve around her female-ness any more than many mainstream actioners revolvea round the male-ness of their protagonists. Of course nothing is that simple - and in NOT visually emphasising her female-ness in an overtly sexalised way, the film in many ways differs from other action films, precisely as it shies away from such imagery, whereas many action films that star men of course, do not! This in itself is interesting, of course - and points to some of the issues surrounding the difficulties for a (male, perhaps especially) director wanting to direct a female lead in a male-dominated genre, especialyl where director and star alike seem not to want to over(t)ly sexualise the star. The pay off is, to my mind, an effective piece of action cinema attractive to many viewers - and less off-putting than many action films in its portrayal of women, for sure. On the downside, I imagine Salt might well have done better at the Box Office had it sexualised its star as much as the camerawork and costuming of male-lead action vehicles so often do.
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