Rated PG-13 – 1h40

I know the doctors say I should cut back, but I would love an extra thrilling serving of Salt.

Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is a female action hero living up to her full potential. She’s right up there with Ellen Ripley from “Alien” and Sarah Connor from “Terminator.”

Salt is a seasoned CIA agent who is accused of being a Russian spy. She goes rogue, but you’re never sure if she’s doing it to protect herself or to get away. We do know she’s crafty, deadly and runs full speed at her target.

The reason I’m enthralled with this story is because it works on my paranoia. Is it a far stretch to believe that the Russians have been training children to be sleeper agents? Not really. Could our former enemies still hold a major grudge against the US? Sure. Could the president ever be tricked into launching our own nuclear weapons? I hope not, but in the action genre, it’s plausible.

I can’t say I’ve always been a big fan of Angelina Jolie, but this seems to be a role tailored to her talents. She’s good looking (I know, an underestimation,) she’s energetic and she seems wise too. The energy in particular really brings this character to life. Jumping from semi-to-semi takes a lot of it ya know.

Salt has to go through the motions of your typical action movie too. The hero has to take out untold numbers of henchmen. Ammunition can never run out. Unbreachable buildings have to be breached. Honestly, she’s right up there rivaling Die Hard, Rambo and Terminator, and this movie makes those clichés fun and entertaining.

I’m sooooo glad that Tom Cruise turned the role down and they did a rewrite to make Salt a female.