Angelina Jolie stars as Evelyn Salt, a trusted and loyal CIA operative who is forced to go on the run when a Russian defector convinces her superiors that she's a double agent sent to assassinate the President of the United States. As the intense manhunt heats up, Salt uses all of her skills as a covert operative to elude capture as she fights to uncover a secret so explosive it could change the course of world history...

Salt is an action thriller in the style of Bond and the Bourne series of movies. Originally the film was scripted for a male lead, but reworking the story slightly and placing Jolie in the lead role adds so much more to what would have otherwise been just another Minority Report clone - in fact Tom Cruise was originally attached to the project to play the lead.

Possibly the most appealing aspect of the movie - apart from Jolie's incredible performance and the strong supporting cast that includes Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor - is the 'is she / isn't she' plot device that leaves you constantly wondering whether Salt really is a Russian sleeper agent.

The Blu-ray comes with three versions of the movie: Theatrical Version (1 hr, 39 min, 59 Sec); Director's Cut (1 hr, 44 min, 04 sec - with added footage marker); and Extended Cut (1 hr, 41 min, 04 sec - with added footage marker). All come with optional Movie IQ that allows you to access more behind the scenes information.

Extras include Spy Cam: Picture in Picture (Theatrical Version) that allows you to watch the movie with various features that play during relevant segments of the movie; Filmmaker's Commentary (which mainly features director Phillip Noyce as well as other crew members); The Ultimate Female Action Hero (8 min, 05 sec which looks at Jolie in the role and examines how she did most of her own stunts); The Real Agents (12 min, 33 sec which interviews ex CIA and KGB agents); Spy Disguise: The Looks of Evelyn Salt (5 min, 26 sec which looks at the various make-up used in the movie); The Modern Master of the Political Thriller: Phillip Noyce (9 min, 15 sec look at Noyce's work on this movie. It was interesting to learn that his father was a spy); False Identity: Creating a New Reality (7 min, 14 sec look at the CGI effects); Salt Declassified (29 min, 47 sec behind the scene feature on various aspects of the movie making process - repeats quite a lot of the material in the other features); and The "Treatment" Radio Interview with Phillip Noyce (27 min, 12 sec).

There's not a dull or wasted minute in this movie, and it's great to see a blockbuster movie of this type with a strong female lead. It puts a new spin on the genre and if there's any justice in this world this won't be the last of its kind.

9

Darren Rea