Director: Philip Noyce Screenplay: Kurt Wimmer, Brian Helgeland Cast: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, August Diehl Time: 100min Age Restriction: 16V

Genre:
Thriller/Action

Summary Review:
Salt is Angelina Jolie’s best action movie to date, with a thrilling, twisted storyline that will keep you guessing to the last scene.

Synopsis:
There has been a plethora of espionage-themed action/thriller movies out in recent years, along the lines of the Bourne movies and Salt is another such film. But it is one of the better ones and it seems fresh.

Angelina Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a skilled and respected CIA agent. One day she is interviewing a Russian defector in the high-security CIA offices when he accuses her of being a Russian KGB agent, who’s been planted to kill the US president.

Her CIA colleagues regard her with suspicion and wish to interrogate her, but Salt is not about to let herself be detained when they have just been informed that there is someone trying to kill the president.

She runs and escapes through a series of breathtaking stunts, which characterise the entire film and the rest of the movie revolves around Salt and who the real spy is.

Salt will keep you guessing right up to the last minute – as soon as you think you’ve figured it all out, a new twist is thrown into the works.

Angelina Jolie did all her own stunts, which is very impressive, and having a female lead in an action-packed thriller like this is a twist in itself. Salt is by far her best action film to date (the Lara Croft movies being lame comic-like films and Wanted being too far-fetched). Admittedly, if it had been a male actor in the lead role, this movie may have become transparently clichéd.

But thanks to its fast-paced, thrilling and intriguing storyline, Salt is gripping and entertaining.

Director: Joe Carnahan Screenplay: Joe Carnahan, Brian Bloom, Skip Woods Cast: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, Quinton Jackson Time: 117min Age Restriction: 13LV

Genre:
Action/Comedy

Summary Review:
The A-Team is an adrenaline-filled joyride, with over-the-top action sequences and endearingly cheesy comedy.

Synopsis:
The A-Team television series concluded before I was born, but I vaguely recall the characters and the random explosions from the re-runs my parents used to watch.

The movie is in much the same vein – racing from one outrageous action scene to the next, with an over-the-top macho, gung-ho attitude that adds a comical eccentricity to The A-Team.

Instead of being the heroes they always were in the TV series, the A-team are now on a mission to redeem themselves after an undercover “Black Ops” mission gets them sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In comparison to the ridiculous stunts, however, the plot is insignificant. Although the new CGI effects have enabled the filmmakers to create more visually realistic sequences, The A-Team maintains the rough and manly tone of the series, rather than being sleek like the currently stylish action films.

South African actor Sharlto Copley does us proud by holding his own amongst the cast of A-list actors (excuse the pun).

If you enjoy noisy, ludicrous, explosive action movies you won’t find better than The A-Team.

Director: Christopher Nolan Screenplay: Christopher Nolan Cast: Leonardo Di Caprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard Time: 148min Age Restriction: 13V

Genre:
Sci-fi/Thriller

Summary Review:
Inception is a must-see film, setting new standards in creativity, special effects and just plain awesomeness.

Synopsis:
Extraction is the process of stealing people’s thoughts, secrets or ideas, by entering their dreams and gaining access to the deepest vaults of their subconscious.

Mr Cobbs (Leonardo Di Caprio) is the most skilled extractor on the planet. Mr Saito (Ken Watanabe) hires Cobbs and his associate Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to do something much more difficult, though.

Mr Saito wants them to introduce a new idea into someone’s mind – this is called inception.

But Cobbs has his own mental baggage and a dark secret that threatens to sabotage the entire project.
Inception is an intensely complex film, but is also very fast-paced and if you miss even one line of dialogue, you could lose the plot completely.

This complexity also means that there isn’t much time for the new relationships between the characters to develop, so in one scene they’ll be complete strangers and in the next scene they’ll be treating each other like they’ve known each other for years.

But that is something you just accept, because Inception is so extraordinary. Not only will it keep you thinking throughout, the brilliant cinematography and special effects used to create the different dream worlds is ingenious.

A friend of mine recently studied Plato’s theory of The Cave and how that idea was reflected in The Matrix Trilogy of films, and there are definitely some philosophical comparisons that can be drawn with Inception.

Marion Cotillard plays one of the strangest antagonistic characters of all time, Joseph Gordon-Levitt gets to trade his nerdy image for some super cool action moves and there are refreshing slashes of humour at the most unexpected moments, which gives some relief to the tense rollercoaster ride of the story and adds a hint of charm and humanity to Inception and its characters.

Director: James Mangold Screenplay: Patrick O’Neill Cast: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Dano Time: 130min Age Restriction: 13LV

Genre:
Action/Comedy

Summary Review:
Knight And Day is a watchable action movie that feels like a re-run of an old favourite.

Synopsis:
June Havens (Cameron Diaz) is rushing to get on a plane to arrive in time for her sister’s wedding when she accidentally bumps into Roy Miller (Tom Cruise).

June and Roy end up being on the same flight together, but June gets scared when everyone on the plane ends up dead and they start plummeting to the earth.

As it turns out, their meeting was not as coincidental as it seemed and June is dragged into a life-threatening

Knight And Day does not have anything new to offer. The plot is vapid and flimsy, just stringing along the different scenes.

The chemistry between Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz is empty, failing to make you believe in any connection between their characters.

Although the many one-liners are sharp and the action is enjoyable – there are some excellent chase scenes – Knight And Day is nothing we haven’t seen before and compared to the special effects employed by every other action movie nowadays, it is quite disappointing.

Director: Paul Greengrass Screenplay: Brian Helgeland, Rajiv Chandrasekaran Cast: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson, Khalid Abdalla Time: 113min Age Restriction: 16LV

Genre:
Action/ Thriller

Summary Review:
Green Zone is the best war movie I have ever seen, gripping you from start to finish with its enthralling, high-energy tale, baesd on a true story.

Synopsis:
Captain Roy Miller (Matt Damon) is the head of a WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) unit in the Iraqi war in 2003.

The job of his unit is to locate and confiscate nuclear weaponry in Iraq, but their searches are proving repeatedly fruitless. Miller begins to question the reliability of their intelligence sources and uncovers an appalling secret fuelled by pride and cowardice.

I’m not a fan of war films in general, for the most part they bore me, but boredom is not possible in the energetic Green Zone.

Driven by a passionate performance from Damon and an intelligent plot, Green Zone races along at a relentless pace, which doesn’t stop for an instant, from the explosive opening scene to the gut-wrenching finale.

An outstanding performance from British actor, Khalid Abdalla, will make you burn at Green Zone‘s depiction of the injustice and corruption that results in the needless loss of innocent lives for the greed of a few.

Innovative cinematography, employing handheld camcorders, adds to the raw authenticity of Green Zone, and it’s the first movie I’ve seen that shows soldiers who act with purpose, like they know what they’re doing and they believe in what they’re doing.

Director: Ridley Scott Screenplay: Brian Helgeland Cast: Russel Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac Time: 140min Age Restriction: 13V

Genre:
Adventure/Action

Summary Review:
Robin Hood is a more virile, less magical take on the old legend about liberty and equality through stealing from the rich to give to the poor.

Synopsis:
Let me tell you straight up, if you’re expecting the Robin Hood story of your childhood, you will be disappointed and you won’t enjoy this film. It is a very different take on the old tale of Robin Hood, exploring its origins, borne of the desperate necessity of the English peasantry, rather than the carefree, woodland-folksy fairytale depicted in other films.

But then, if this movie was going to tell exactly the same story as all the others, what would be the point in making it?

Robin Longstride (Russel Crowe) is an archer who’s been at war in King Richard’s 10-year-long Crusade. When the king is killed in battle, his sly and arrogant brother, Prince John (Oscar Isaac) is crowned king. King John promptly levies taxes from all his citizens and promotes his close friend, Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong), sending him off to collect the taxes.

But, unbeknownst to the King, Sir Godfrey is in cahoots with Philip, King of France, to invade and conquer England. Naturally, it falls to Robin to uncover the plot, talk some sense into the noblemen and lead the battle against France.

This version of Robin Hood is more macho than those we’ve seen in the past, with Robin exchanging the traditional tights for manlier chainmail for much of the film. It is fast-paced, entertaining and the cinematography is artfully executed, with breathtaking shots of the English countryside.

Russel Crowe has received some criticism for his wavering accent in the film. As for Lady Marian, a friend and I were debating whether Cate Blanchett is sexy enough to match Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (who played Marian in 1993′s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves). Needless to say, we didn’t know director Ridley Scott had changed the role of Lady Marian from delicate damsel in distress to that of a fierce and hard-working widow. Though her costumes prohibit much opportunity for sexiness from any woman, there is some allure in how Cate portrays Marian’s gentle softening toward Robin, from being cold at first, then later warming to his roguish charm.

That much is, after all, still the same in Robin Hood.

Director: Jon Favreau Screenplay: Justin Theroux Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson Time: 124min Age Restriction: 10LV

Genre:
Action

Summary Review:
Iron Man 2 is a sleek sequel that is good fun and continues to set the Iron Man character apart as a one-of-a-kind superhero.

Synopsis:
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has revealed himself to be Iron Man. The mystique surrounding the superhero is therefore vanishing fast and Stark is being ordered to hand the Iron Man suit over to the government.

There is also a disgruntled Russian inventor (Mickey Rourke) with a grudge against Stark, who has a few dangerous high-tech toys of his own.

Iron Man 2 is not as long as the original film, which makes the action all the more enjoyable. The special effects and taut humour do not disappoint, with a few cheesy one-liners thrown in for good measure.

Although the plot’s flow is a bit clumsy, Iron Man 2 moves at such a pace that you hardly notice it. All the familiar faces are matched by a host of new characters and Scarlett Johansson is swelteringly hot as the Black Widow.

Iron Man 2 is an expectedly perfect sequel, so don’t miss out on the movie that all your friends are going to be talking about for the next few weeks.

Director: Louis Leterrier Screenplay: Lawrence Kasdan, Travis Beacham, Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi Cast: Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelson, Alexa Davalos Time: 106min Age Restriction: 13V

Genre:
Action/Drama

Summary Review:
Clash of the Titans is a standard epic film, filled with mythology, symbolism – action-packed and expectedly entertaining.

Synopsis:
Sam Worthington is rapidly establishing himself as the leading man of 3D cinema. After starring in the record-breaking and much-celebrated Avatar, he now plays the lead role of Perseus in Clash of the Titans.

Perseus, the half-man, half-god son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), swears revenge on Hades (Ralph Fiennes) for the murder of his earthly family. When the people of Argos rebel against the gods, Zeus allows Hades to unleash pain and suffering on all mankind, in a bid to regain their devotion and worship. As the son of a god, Perseus is the only one who can defeat the Kraken, the most terrible of beasts.

His journey of stepping up, becoming a man and fulfilling his potential is depicted in Clash of the Titans. You’re right, it’s a concept we’ve seen before, but the CGI effects in this film are on a whole other level. I’d recommend seeing it in 2D, though – you’ll save money and won’t miss out on much, as the 3D effects were only added to the film after its production, whereas most 3D films are shot with special cameras from the beginning.

Unlike most other epic films, Clash of the Titans is kept to a reasonable running time of only 106 minutes (as opposed to Troy and Alexander that ran over 3 hours long). The story proceeds swiftly and the scenes are kept succinct and to the point. Romance is also kept to a minimum.

In short, although Clash of the Titans holds no surprises, it’s fairly entertaining for a boys’ night out. Ladies might prefer to check out my review of Leap Year, though.

Director: Kathryn Bigelow Screenplay: Mark Boal Cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo Time: 131min Age Restriction: 16LV

Genre:
Action

Summary Review:
The Hurt Locker is a tension-filled action film that shows the dehumanising effects of war on the participants.

Synopsis:
Sgt J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) are members of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit deployed in Iraq. Twenty-eight days before their year-long rotation of duty ends, their team leader is blown up in a bomb explosion.

Their new team leader is William James (Jeremy Renner), a cocky, reckless daredevil. Tensions mount as he repeatedly endangers the lives of the entire team and their daily harrowing ordeals wear away at their courage and sense of purpose.

The Hurt Locker is an edgy, tightly-produced film that objectively showcases the life of soldiers and civilians in war-ravaged surroundings.

With its charged accounts of violence and battle, The Hurt Locker reveals the self-doubt of men who come face-to-face with death on a daily basis and how an adrenaline-addiction becomes the only way to cope. Ironically, this is what escalates and prolongs the thirst for war.