Salt

SALT: TRULY ESPIONAGE ACTION THRILLER  BY DEFINITION
by Reymundo Salao


Before I begin, I'd like to just warn you that this review has some level of spoilers. I know many of you will want to walk into this movie without any suggestive idea in mind, fresh from any predictions or expectations for how the movie would go. But don't worry, before we get to the spoiler section, I will tell you my verdict. SALT is a full-price movie; action-packed, intriguing, and oftentimes unpredictable. SALT brings back Espionage Action-Thriller to a level that is highly spectacular and is both very fast-paced and smartly done. It is directed by Philip Noyce, who is responsible for brilliant espionage/spy thrillers like Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger (both movies based on the Tom Clancy novels which feature his most famous protagonist Jack Ryan), The Saint, and The Quiet American. Noyce is very reliable when it comes to such genre. SALT delivers a movie that captivates action junkies while never compromising a well-made spy story. (spoilers from this point on)

SPOILER SECTION
Who is Evelyn Salt? Well we all know that she's some kind of super-spy ( the first scene of the movie already reveals that); but the real question is: On whose side is she on?

What I love about it is that it dares to make twists that take you to an unpredictable route. There are "Whoa" moments that surprises the audience and makes them crack their heads as to what will happen next. Although at the second half of the movie, keen audiences could plot out how it will end.

The intrigue and the level of twists kinda remind me of Robert Ludlum style storylines. Stories that seem a bit fantastic at first, but are actually based on actual, real-world issues and occurrences. SALT deals with the story of sleeper agents implanted unto American society by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. And yes, these things do exist in real life.

I love the fact that the entire first half of the movie, you really have no idea if Salt is really to be trusted or not. I also loved the fact that this could possibly have been the kind of movie where Salt truly is the villain, and is only the title character the same way as Doctor No and Goldfinger are title characters, or like some sort of Slasher movie monster.

I think the second half of the movie was the part where it faltered slightly and made things a bit predictable.

It was kind of different on my part; I actually could not hold myself, and cant help but respond to the call of nature, so I had to go to the CR for a brief moment; At the scene where Salt discusses with Orlov about the next step in their plan (this is also after we see Salt's husband killed off), I was not able to see the scene where Salt killed Orlov and the other KGB agents/Russians. Maybe if I'd have seen that scene, it would have ruined the rest of the final part of the movie for me. Because those moments where Salt was charging towards the president, are moments wherein I really didn't know how this thing will go, and I thought it was an intensely thrilling scene to see this villain (at least I thought she was) charging relentlessly to her target, never knowing that the resolve of the crisis was her secretly turning against her Russian trainers.

Letting the audience know midway that Salt would betray his KGB comrades would certainly decrease the intensity of the scene where the President declares that the country go to Def-Con 2. But that for me is just a very minor flaw that can be ignored. The flaw of the movie that actually really bothered me was that nobody seemed to be too alert of tracking down Orlov after he escaped from the CIA facility; everybody seemed to have been too busy with Salt to the point that nobody (AT ALL!) seemed to bother to look for Orlov. What also bothered me was during the car wreck scene where Salt too easily walked away from the scene when there were too many people there that could have at least stopped her or asked her a question. And another thing: nobody even bothered to shoot her when she was killing Agent Winter (Liev Schreiber)? Is that how that place was so poor in security? When we get to the chopper scene between Salt and Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor, who did a great performance, as always), the end could easily be spelled out. But regardless of flaws and minor nitpick details, I still loved this movie, and will probably watch it again this weekend.

Before I end, there is just one thing; As I mentioned earlier, the real question is: On whose side is Salt on? Those who have watched it already know the answer. But I wonder if you also asked a similarly important question: If Orlov did not kill her husband, would Salt still stand by the same side?

Farewell, Peter Graves

Peter Graves passes at the age of 83
Actor best known for role in 'Mission: Impossible' dies

Peter Graves, who is best known for his role in the TV series "Mission: Impossible" and films including "Stalag 17" and "Airplane," died of natural causes in Pacific Palisades, Calif., March 14, 2010. He was 83.

Graves made his mark when he replaced Steven Hill as the lead in CBS' "Mission: Impossible" in 1967. Thesp starred as the gruff leader of the Impossible Missions Force for six seasons, and then returned in 1988 for ABC's remake of the series. He also starred as Capt. Clarence Oveur in 1980 laffer "Airplane" and its sequel.

Born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis, Graves entered showbiz at an early age -- he was a radio announcer at age 16. Following a stint in the Air Force, he studied drama at the U. of Minnesota. Upon graduation he came to Hollywood, where his older brother James Arness was already starring in "Gunsmoke." Graves' first film was 1951's "Rogue River." A host of smaller roles in films, mostly Westerns, and TV followed, including horror films such as "Killers From Space." Among his film credits were a German spy in 1953's "Stalag 17," directed by Billy Wilder, and "The Yellow Tomahawk." In the 1960s, he turned to TV and played the lead in NBC series "Fury," as well as "Whiplash" in 1960-61. He had recurring roles on "The Love Boat," "Fantasy Island" and "7th Heaven."

Though he's best known for his role as Jim Phelps of the "Mission: Impossible" series, for which he won a Golden Globe and was Emmy-nommed, Graves turned down the chance to co-star in Par's 1996 film toplining Tom Cruise.

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YOU SHALL BE MISSED, Peter Graves! The original MISSION IMPOSSIBLE was one of my favorite series in the late 80's (I'm talking about the late 80's "new" series, it was only later that I grew to love the original 1960's series). I was actually obsessed with MISSION IMPOSSIBLE at the time because, at the time, it was the perfect spy series. This is why I loathed the movies because those crappy Tom Cruise movies turned MISSION IMPOSSIBLE into a childish James Bond rip-off. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE was supposed to be about teamwork and it's supposed to be getting in and out of a mission like a shadow, without having to fire a single shot or causing a single explosion. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE was supposed to be about a team who silently walks into a scenario, silently leave the scenario, but having left devastating effects only after they left. They never shoot the guns themselves; they cause the villains to turn on each other. They never get into James Bond-type chases; wherever they go, it's supposed to be as if nothing had passsed by. and their leader Jim Phelps, was an orchestrator and overseer of everything that they do. The role brilliantly played by PETER GRAVES. Peter Graves; the ORIGINAL Mission Impossible hero.
[Check out an episode from the series]