Evelyn Salt is a well-regarded CIA agent who suddenly finds herself accused of being a Soviet-era mole from the KGB. Fearing for her husband's life - "when they try to burn you, the first thing they do is burn your family" - she breaks out of CIA custody and goes on the run. Or that's what she claims is her motivation, anyway. The people chasing her, of course, can't take the luxury of assuming she's on the level. Certainly not with the life of the visiting Russian president on the line ...
I saw Atomic Blonde a few months ago. It was a stylish action movie with a strong female lead, and plenty of secret agent high jinks and double crosses. It was also ultimately a bit unsatisfying to me, because no matter how great the fight choreography or how enjoyable Charlize Theron's performance was, the film was an extended exercise in technical sophistication obscuring narrative weakness. None of the characters' motivations or actions make a lick of sense, and the movie just seems to hope that a thumping 80s soundtrack and Theron being a bad-ass will distract you from that fact.
I mention all this because Salt is another spy action film with a tough female lead and plenty of double crosses. On the other hand, the motivations and actions of the characters in this film make sense. Or at least, make sense if one is willing to accept the basic "let's re-create the Cold War" motivations of the bad guys. Which is admittedly quite a lot to swallow.
Salt is not a film that offers a transformative cinematic experience. But it is a solidly crafted modern day espionage movie and overall a pretty entertaining watch in a pretty clearly James Bondian mold. I'd certainly be more interested in seeing Salt 2 than Atomic Blonde 2, a stale Jason Bourne sequel, or - for that matter - yet another Bond movie.
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