SALT

SALT delivers what a spy thriller promises: a quick pace, constant reversals, and a central question that keeps shifting beneath your feet. Angelina Jolie gives a solid performance as Evelyn Salt, an accused Russian double agent whose concern for her husband gives the pursuit a personal center.

The film is also morally serious in its opposition to Communist evil and its defense of spouses and American institutions. But the violence is excessive and sometimes disturbing, with gun battles, crashes, bone-cracking martial arts, and repeated beatings. The story can also make it difficult to discern who is on the right side, weakening some of its moral clarity.

If you are an adult who wants a tightly made thriller and can handle its content, SALT is worth the trip; for children and young teens, choose something else.

Evelyn Salt is a CIA operative whose life changes when a Russian defector accuses her of being a double agent planning to assassinate the Russian president. Before she can be questioned, Salt escapes and races to protect her husband.

Former colleagues pursue her as the accusation grows more credible. Flashbacks reveal pieces of Salt’s past while a Cold War plot threatens the United States and the world order.

Four stars means SALT is a highly effective thriller. Director Phillip Noyce and screenwriter Kurt Wimmer keep the story moving with a taut screenplay, masterful direction, solid performances, and a carefully timed flow of information.

The action can be outlandish, with high-speed thrills sometimes overriding logic. Even so, the crosses and double-crosses follow reasonably well, the flashbacks fill in the necessary pieces, and the story ultimately holds together.

Jolie walks a difficult line, never revealing too much about Salt’s loyalties while still giving viewers enough access to care about her. Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor bring credibility and crisp intensity to their roles.

SALT presents a strong moral worldview that is strongly anti-Communist and pro-American. It values marriage, especially Salt’s concern for her husband, and it treats the defense of the United States and its institutions as important. The film also makes clear that Russian Communist agents and their supporters are working evil.

Its moral clarity is weakened by the difficulty of discerning who is on which side. The story can seem relativistic, suggesting that disabling or killing many people is acceptable if someone is on the right side. That raises a real question about whether good ends can justify morally troubling actions.

The film’s central longing is for loyalty: loyalty to a spouse, a country, and the truth beneath deception. Scripture calls believers to “speak the truth with his neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25), even when falsehood and betrayal make truth difficult to recognize.

SALT is a brilliantly executed thriller with solid performances, a taut screenplay, and masterful direction. Its excessive violence and moral ambiguity make it unsuitable for children and young teens. For discerning adults who can handle those concerns, WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For other family movie options, see.