It's alright. The middle is the best part because there's the possibility of hopping off the formula train, but eventually it leaves the station and we're still onboard. There's a better movie hidden in here, or at least one that could be made from this material, mostly thanks to the surprisingly sentimental aspects of Salt herself.

This sentimentality is played straight, which feels at odds with the otherwise cynical world of spy games and politics in a way that could be interesting if explored in greater depth. Salt's relationship with her husband, her feelings towards her own history, and the nature of love/loyalty versus conditioning/programming, etc.

It's not explored, though, just hinted at and used to add some color during short flashbacks and elevate genre fare. A missed opportunity, especially since Angelina Jolie has the emotional acting range to pull off a more complex character. She tries to energize what the script is giving her, but is mostly relegated to serving action heroine stuff (kind of has Bourne trilogy vibes occasionally) and enigmatic gazes. By the third act the story's become both predictable and nonsensical, but I keep thinking about the bits that could've led to something greater.