Salt (2010)

A CIA agent goes on the run after a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy.

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writer:

Kurt Wimmer

Stars:

Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Angelina Jolie	...	Evelyn Salt
Liev Schreiber	...	Ted Winter
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	Peabody
Daniel Olbrychski	...	Orlov
August Diehl	...	Mike Krause
Daniel Pearce	...	Young Orlov
Hunt Block	...	U.S. President Lewis
Andre Braugher	...	Secretary of Defense
Olek Krupa	...	Russian President Matveyev
Cassidy Hinkle	...	12-Year-Old Chenkov
Corey Stoll	...	Shnaider
Vladislav Koulikov	...	Chenkov's Father
Olya Zueva	...	Chenkov's Mother
Kevin O'Donnell	...	Young CIA Officer
Gaius Charles	...	CIA Officer

Storyline

Evelyn Salt is a CIA agent and highly respected by all, including her boss, Ted Winter. Out of the blue, a Russian spy walks into their offices and offers a vital piece of information: the President of Russia will be assassinated during his forthcoming visit to New York City to attend the funeral of the recently deceased U.S. Vice President. The name of the assassin: Evelyn Salt. Concerned about the safety of her husband, who she cannot contact, she goes on the run. Winter refuses to accept that she is a mole or a double agent but her actions begin to raise doubts. Just who is Evelyn Salt and what is she planning?

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Plot Keywords:

feminine hair | tattooed trash | woman with long hair | russkies | slit dress | 

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Taglines:

Salt Will Not Be Stopped

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was originally written with Salt as a male (Edwin A. Salt), and Tom Cruise was approached to play him. Ultimately, he backed out and the script was rewritten with a female lead and Angelina Jolie was cast.

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Goofs

When Salt extracts venom from the spider, she inserts the needle in the abdomen. The location of the venom sacs are directly above the fangs, in the chelicerae of the spider; also there would not be nearly enough to be visible in the syringe.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Evelyn Salt: [being dragged out and tied down] Please let me go home. Please, I'm not who you think I am. I'm really not who you think I am. Please. Please, I'm not a spy.
North Korean Torturer: You are a spy!
Evelyn Salt: I'm not a spy. Please let me go home.
North Korean Torturer: Try again.
Evelyn Salt: I am not a spy! I am a business woman. I work for Rink Petroleum and Gas. Please call them. I work for Rink Petroleum!
North Korean Torturer: You are here to sabotage our nuclear ambitions. Yes?
Evelyn Salt: [gasoline funnel being forced into her mouth] I am not a spy! I am not a spy!

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Alternate Versions

UK theatrical version was cut for violence to achieve a '12A' rating with edits to the opening torture scene and some blows and chain throttling during fight scenes. These cuts persisted into the US theatrical version, although the UK DVD was raised to a 15 due to the inclusion of the extended and director's cut versions (which are unrated on the US DVD).

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The Men Who Stare at Goats/A Christmas Carol/Precious (2009)

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Soundtracks

Grande Pièce Symphonique Op. 17 No. 2
Written by César Franck
Performed by William K. Trafka
Courtesy of Zarex Corporation/Pro Organo

User Reviews

Entertaining for sure

Was it realistic? No. Did all the dots get connected? Not all. Was it fun to watch? Yes. Was it predictable? Not entirely. Lots of twists & turns. If you don't mind people sliding down a banister with six-shooters out shooting 5 hit men with Uzi's, then you'll probably like it. (This didn't really happen, and I don't really know guns but you get the message.) I thought I had it all figured out but I was oh so wrong. I would like to see it again, knowing what I know now. There wasn't a lot of cursing and relatively little blood & guts considering this type of movie. I must say, sitting next to some women who liked shouting at the screen and throwing their own punches heightened the excitement for the audience.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Sony Pictures [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Korean

Release Date:

23 July 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Edwin A. Salt

Filming Locations:

Makaryev Monastery, Lyskovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Box Office

Budget:

$110,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$36,011,243, 25 July 2010

Gross USA:

$118,311,368

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$293,503,354

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Di Bonaventura Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 104 min (director's cut) 101 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1