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Written by Gregg Shapiro
Apr 7, 2011
Photo: Courtesy
‘Salt’
As if to remind us that Russia and its citizens are still a threat to the well-being of the planet (see also “The Girl Who Played With Fire”), “Salt” (Columbia) sets teeth chattering with its Cold War revival mentality.
After spending two years in captivity in North Korea, CIA agent Evelyn Salt (a “Village of the Damned” blonde Angelina Jolie) is back at work in Washington, D.C. She’s living in the U Street corridor with German national and arachnologist husband Mike (August Diehl) and dog Burt. She gets on well with co-worker Ted (Liev Schreiber) and everything seems to be going along fine.
But the arrival in the low-profile, top-secret office of Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski), a mysterious former high-ranking KGB agent claiming to want to defect, throws Evelyn’s world into a tailspin. Is he really, as he claims, Chenkov – a Soviet-trained spy and killing machine whose yet-to-be-carried-out mission includes the assassination of the Russian president, the devastation of centers of Muslim culture and total Russian world domination?
There are countless stunts and action sequences, dozens of daring escapes and buckets of betrayals before we realize that, like Evelyn, we are being set up. Breathtaking and bombastic “Salt” seasons the audience, leaving them hanging, waiting for Evelyn’s inevitable return.
DVD bonus features include filmmakers’ commentary, the featurettes “Spy Disguise: The Looks of Evelyn Salt” and “The Ultimate Female Action Hero.”
‘Strapped’
Young hustler Adam (Ben Bonenfant) unknowingly enters a labyrinthine apartment building that he will spend hours trying to leave in Joseph Graham’s ambitious “Strapped” (TLA). Picked up in a rainstorm by inexperienced trick John (Artem Mishin), Adam does what he can to make John comfortable, including sharing intimate personal details about how his father pimped him out to his friends when he was a boy. Once they get down to having sex, it is a good experience for both.
Leaving John’s apartment, Adam pockets a small sculpture of a griffin. Wandering the halls looking for the lobby, he runs into flamboyant Leon (Carlo D’Amore), who mistakes Adam for Eddie, the son of the ex-mayor, and invites him back to his apartment. Inside the flat is Gary (Nick Frangione) and others, doing drugs and waiting for Leon to return with refreshments. Adam, an “agent of desire,” plays along with the mistaken identity scenario and even makes some cash after having sex with Dirk.
After that, Adam meets married man David (Michael Klinger), who compares the building to the hotel in “The Shining.” The curious David leads him to the basement laundry room where they fool around before David assaults Adam. Luckily for Adam, Sam (Paul Gerrior) comes along and saves him from a potentially lethal situation. Sam, the building’s caretaker and resident sage, connects with Adam on a variety of levels, including the physical.
Back in the endless hallway, Adam crosses paths with Gary again, and they go to his apartment. It is with Gary, who offers Adam money just to kiss him, that Adam finally bonds with a trick, hinting that there might be something more to their attraction.
Although the dialogue occasionally veers toward the theatrical, “Strapped” is a well-acted and original take on the hustler with a heart of gold story. Bonenfant is especially appealing as Adam, fully fleshing out the character and giving him dimension and depth. DVD bonus features include the trailer, a music video and a revealing interview with Bonenfant.
