"An entertaining, fast-paced thriller with exciting action sequences, a gripping set-up and a terrific central performance from Angelina Jolie. Angelina Jolie is terrific as Salt." Matthew Turner VIEW LONDON "Doesn't pause for breath as it delivers juicy espionage, mystery and superb thriller entertainment." Jules Brenner CINEMA SIGNALS "An impressive action-thriller that pulls out all the stops." Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat SPIRITUALITY & PRACTICE "Salt is exciting and intriguing and doesn't waste a second of screen time." Margaret Pomeranz ABC AT THE MOVIES "Salt just does what a post-Bourne espionage affair should, with a minimum of fuss and a maximum dose of adrenalin." Leigh Paatsch ADELAIDE ADVERTISER "Salt, a ludicrous but somehow credible spy thriller starring Angelina Jolie, delivers a swift, super-charged kick in the pants." Ann Hornaday WASHINGTON POST "This film likely marks Jolie's ascendance to the top rung of Hollywood action heroes. Salt is a smart, fast, breathless blast of a spy flick that emulates the Bourne films in all the right ways." Tom Long DETROIT NEWS

"The real point is to give Jolie ample opportunity to go Bonding about. It's impossible to imagine any other female star in Hollywood bringing such ferocious conviction to the task." Sandra Hall SYDNEY MORNING HERALD "Salt is certainly no Jason Bourne, but Jolie adds a good pinch of seasoning to the action genre." Roz Laws BIRMINGHAM POST "Adrenalin-charged action, assured direction and a star turn by Angelina Jolie." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE "Easily the best action film not directed by Christopher Nolan." David Nusair REEL FILM REVIEWS "Tense, timely and enigmatic, it features Hollywood's most alluring female fighting machine." Susan Granger SSG SYNDICATE "Angelina Jolie is one deadly weapon in this breathless political thriller." Thelma Adams US WEEKLY "Jolie completely rocks this fun, smart and unbelievably relentless action flick." Kevin McCarthy BDK REVIEWS "Salt proves Jolie has what it takes to stand in the spotlight as a prominent female action star." Diana Saenger REVIEW EXPRESS

The Inside Story The contemporary spy thriller Salt, starring Oscar® winner Angelina Jolie, began life with an offhand comment Jolie made a few years ago. "I was meeting with (Sony Pictures Co-Chairman) Amy Pascal a few years ago when it came up in conversation that she was getting ready to make one of the new James Bond films. I playfully said, 'I want to be Bond!' That was our little joke, and then she found this project." Screenwriter Kurt Wimmer had originally conceived the role of Salt to be played by a male actor and roiginally, Tom Cruise was slated for the role. Wimmer's original spec script was developed with producer Sunil Perkash, who then brought it to producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Amy Pascal at Sony, who in turn brought on three time AFI Award winning director Phillip Noyce. Like all motion picture projects, the screenplay then went through several drafts, but the major change to the script occurred when the filmmakers envisioned Jolie, one of the few women in the world who can carry an action picture, in the title role. Very quickly, Edwin Salt became Evelyn Salt. "We had a really smart script we all collectively loved with an intriguing and complex character, so the idea of Angelina doing this suddenly felt like a no brainer," Perkash stated. "She's an incredible actress who would bring such depth and realism to a very enigmatic character. Having that realism in an otherwise fantastical story was very important, and we were beyond thrilled when she responded to the role. In the film, Evelyn Salt, a CIA operative, is accused of being a sleeper spy for Russia. With her entire world crashing down, Salt must stop at nothing to prove her innocence: but her efforts to evade capture only throw her motives in doubt. di Bonaventura says that the notion of sleeper spies is not fantasy. "There’s no question that they exist. The CIA believes that they exist. There’s something really mysterious and sexy about the notion that somebody could lie in wait for decades, if necessary." "The real fun of this movie is that it’s an action thriller and a mystery centering around the identity of this character," says Perkash. "Salt has a lot of elements in it," di Bonaventura explained. "It’s a thriller, it’s an action movie, it’s a spy movie, it’s a dramatic love story, and it has some kick-ass action." When a walk-in defector alleges that Salt is a mole, triggering Day X (the day when Russian sleeper spies awaken and begin the war against the United States), she is forced on the run. "Day X is still a controversial topic inside the CIA," says Oscar® winner Jolie ("Girl, Interrupted"). "Some think it’s absolute nonsense and others believe that not only is it real, but sleeper agents have already been activated for certain cases. When we first approached the idea, we thought it was a bit of a fantasy, but as we found out more information, we discovered it was more real than we could have guessed. Truth really is stranger than fiction." In fact, ten Russian Agents pleaded guilty on July 8th 2010 to conspiring to serve as unlawful agents of the Russian Federation within the United States without notifying the U.S. Attorney General. "Counterintelligence is a top FBI investigative priority, and this case in particular represents the dedicated efforts of the men and women who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to counter the efforts of those who would steal our nation's vital secrets," FBI Director Robert S Mueller said. "I have no doubt that sleeper spies are out there," says Noyce ("Catch a Fire" & "The Bone Collector"). "It’s been a part of spycraft since day one. Even before reading Kurt Wimmer's script, I was fascinated by the question of what might happen if long at rest sleeper spies were suddenly called to action." The film’s technical advisor on the CIA, Melissa Boyle Mahle, worked in the Agency as an operative for sixteen years. "The CIA requires that we tell our spouses what we do for a living," she revealed. "Over the decades, the agency has learned that people cannot live a normal life if they don’t have one person close to them that they can talk to, to a certain degree. On the other hand, just because your spouse knows what you do for a living, your spouse doesn’t know what you do on a daily basis: not what you’re working on, or what kind of danger you’re in, or if you leave, where you go." Jolie says that it’s not unusual for a CIA operative to be married, but it’s a job that can put a lot of strain on a relationship. "I talked to one woman, a former operative, who said it was such a relief when she left the agency; after years of not being able to communicate anything that she did or where she was going, her whole relationship with her husband changed. She didn’t realize how much it had kept them apart, how difficult it had been, until she had a new life." "It creates a space, a black hole, in any relationship," Mahle says. "It’s very important to have normal, healthy relationship, but in a marriage, or a very close person you cannot tell, it’s very difficult." To prepare for her role, three time Golden Globe winner Jolie did her research. "We talked to a lot of the women in the CIA. One after the other, they are just these lovely, sweet women that you can’t imagine being put in a dangerous situation, but they really are." Through these interactions with Mahle and other former spies, Noyce says, Jolie ("The Bone Collector" & "A Mighty Heart") learned what an operative would do if she were really accused of being a sleeper spy. "She learned how spies live on the edge, what they do if they are unmasked, how they evade detection." In casting Jolie, the filmmakers felt they could push the throttle on the action quotient. "Angelina’s the consummate pro," notes di Bonaventura ("Constantine" & "1408"). "Whether it’s a dramatic scene, whether it’s a funny scene, whether it’s an action scene, she’s going for it. It’s great to work with somebody who really wants to push the boundaries." Noyce says the reason he wanted to make this movie is simple: "After reading the script, it was a movie I wanted to see. I’d pay to see it. When I first read Kurt's script, I was overwhelmed by the intoxicating combination of historical fact and popcorn fiction. It seemed like the perfect recipe for that rare film that both pleases the mind and tickles the senses, an edge-of-your-seat adventure to delight the grownup in every teenager and the child in every adult." It turns out, Noyce has been interested in the subject for years; he was born into it. "My father worked for Z Special Force, which was the Australian equivalent of the OSS, the forerunner to the CIA. I grew up enchanted by the stories of my father the spy. At a very early age, in my small town in the Australian outback (Griffith, New South Wales), I’d spend my afternoons following people, spying on them for an hour or two. I wanted to be a spy but I never got to do it." "When it comes to espionage, many Hollywood movies have no relationship to reality, but Philip wanted approach it as, 'Yes, it really could happen this way.' The little details as well as the big story points were important to him," Mahle said. According to Jolie (who worked with FBI profiler Robert K. Ressler for her role in "Taking Lives"), Noyce always does extensive research into the details of the lives of his characters for every film he makes. "He does so much research, and the little, minute details that help all of us fill in our characters. When he makes an intelligent thriller, he is the intelligence behind the thriller." For 2005 Venice Film Festival Biografilm Award winner Liev Schreiber ("Everything Is Illuminated"), who plays Ted Winter, Salt’s boss at the CIA, watching Noyce at work was like attending a master class. "Phillip is someone that as a filmmaker and as an actor I’ve always admired. The opportunity to watch him up close is worth the price of admission for me." Schreiber is an actor known for serious dramatic roles in such films as "The Manchurian Candidate" and "Defiance", but he has also recently branched out into action with "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". "Liev is very politically aware and very thoughtful, so he’s great to work with," says Jolie. "He takes the role seriously, and still has fun with it." When Schreiber was first sent the script for Salt, he says he read it very quickly. "It was a page-turner. I zipped right through it. It was a really fun read." Jolie describes Schreiber (who played transvestitie Thelma in "Taking Woodstock") as "one of the actors that doesn’t sit back. He puts a lot of work in, and we knew when he came in that he was going to make his character better and stronger." Similarly, the filmmakers sought a high-energy actor who could bring out the intensity in Peabody, the man whose job it is to track Salt and bring her back in. As a product of the CIA’s counter-intelligence division, he is not an especially sympathetic character. The role went to Olivier Award-winning British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor O.B.E. (pronounced chew-it-tell edge-oh-for.) The 2003 British Independent Film Award winning actor ("Dirty Pretty Things") who survived a car crash at the age of eleven that claimed his fathers life, found the script offered a lot more than daring action. "It’s very fast-paced, a very exciting movie. It’s got kind of a mixture of everything; a political thriller, a paranoid thriller, and the characters are very engaging." Once the main roles were cast, Phillip Noyce brought in Academy Award® winning cinematographer Robert Elswit A.S.C. ("There Will Be Blood") and Academy Award® winning special effects supervisor Burt Dalton ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"). Principal photography began with early scenes of Salt’s escape from the Washington DC CIA building where she works, after a Russian defector accuses her of being a sleeper spy. L’Enfant Plaza, Constitution Avenue, the Navy Memorial, and New York Avenue one block from the White House provided the locations for Salt’s initial escape. After a week in Washington, the film company moved to New York, where much of the story is also set. For scenes set in Russia, the production shot at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection in New York’s East Village, while the production also traveled to Russia itself, for a scene on the Volga River. With Jolie in the lead role, the filmmakers were limited only by their imaginations when it came to the action and stunt sequences in the film. "Angelina is very much into doing all the action herself," says Simon Crane ("Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" & "Mr & Mrs Smith"). "She’s really game for anything." Jolie felt very safe working with Crane because Crane is simply one of the best in the business. "He started out as one of the great stuntmen," Noyce revealed. "In "Cliffhanger", there’s an amazing midair transfer: that was Simon. The greatest, most exciting war sequence I’ve ever seen: the D-Day sequence in "Saving Private Ryan": that was coordinated by Simon. The greatest fight sequence I’ve ever seen: in "Braveheart"; choreographed by Simon. The greatest swordfight, in "Troy": Simon. The guy is a living legend. He’s seen it all and done it all. He takes the audience by the seat of their pants and plunges them into the scene." What It's All About

You think everyones who they say they are? As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt swore an oath to duty, honor and country. And no-one can sort out a nut-job from the real thing than her. But Salt's loyalty is tested when a walk-in defector announces that "today a Russian agent will travel to New York City to kill the President. The name of the agent is Evelyn Salt." Suspected of working for the other side, Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt's efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: "Who Is Salt?" The CIA, despite her service record, are attempting to track her down. They have a strict protocol for situations like this one: "Bring them in, or bring them down." If Salt is telling the truth, all hell is about to break loose.

The Verdict "It's the question on everyones lips: "is Angelina Jolie every womans 'Bourne' again femme fatale? You'd better believe it. Her latest character Evelyn Salt is evey bit the definition of a 'fatal woman': seductive, alluring, clever, a bit evil and very mysterious. And despite the fact that "Salt" has barely hit cinemas, there's already talk of a sequel. Jolie, who has shown in the past that she's quite the action woman (think "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider", "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" and "Mr & Mrs Smith") is reported to have has said, "I'd love to do a sequel. You never know if you're going to get the chance, if audiences are going to love it." The thirty five year old actress: who plays lead character Evelyn Salt in the action thriller; admits she is keen to work on sequel because she thinks there is more to discover from her. Those who have already taken in Jolie's latest action packed, edge of your seat thriller, know that the final scene leaves "Salt" open for a sequel. Given the quality of her latest bigscreener, in which Jolie throws herself from a freeway overpass landing on top of a moving truck on the highway below; evades a roadblock on a six-lane thoroughfare ("That’s really Angelina on top of the vehicles," says "Terminator 3" stunt coordinator Simon Crane); rides a motorcycle; leaps from a helicopter; belts the living daylight out of anyone who gets in her way; writes off numerous vehicles and walks a ledge twelve stories up in her bare feet: is there any reason why the wouldn't make a sequel? Well the box-office may play a big part in that decision. After five weeks in release, "Salt", with a production budget of $US110 million has only taken $US218,164,202. But don't let that hold you back. "Salt" is one heck of a ride. Highly recommended. 4 STARS." Who's Who?

Angelina Jolie Liev Schreiber Chiwetel Ejiofor Daniel Olbrychski August Diehl Daniel Pearce Hunt Block Andre Braugher Olek Krupa Cassidy Hinkle Corey Stoll Vladislav Koulikov Olya Zueva Marion McCorry

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Evelyn Salt Ted Winter Peabody Vassily Orlov Mike Krause Young Orlov U.S. President Lewis Secretary of Defense Russian President Matveyev Twelve year old Chenkov Shnaider Chenkov's Father Chenkov's Mother CIA Director Medford

The Crew Directed by Phillip Noyce Written by Kurt Wimmer Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura & Sunil Perkash Original Music by James Newton Howard D.O.P Robert Elswit Film Editing by Stuart Baird/John Gilroy/Steven Kemper Casting by Avy Kaufman Production Design by Scott Chambliss Art Direction by Teresa Carriker-Thayer Set Decoration by Leslie E. Rollins Costume Design by Sarah Edwards Run Time 100 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2010 - Sony Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2010 The Movie Pages & impact Internet Services. All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian and International Copyright. Trademark Laws and Intellectual Property Rights apply.