SPYGAMES: Angelina Jolie stars as Evelyn Salt in the action thriller 'Salt'. (Andrew Schwartz/Columbia/Sony Pictures)

Everything is not as it appears, and director Phillip Noyce (“Patriot Games,” “Clear and Present Danger”) plays it to the hilt…and to the very last second of this film. This action thriller revives the myths and mysteries of the long dead sub-genre of spy films focused around the Cold War and begs the answer to the question, “What happened to all of those covert spies when it all ended?”

Angelina set the wheels in motion for production on this project by exclaiming to a Sony exec, “I want to be Bond!” Writer Kurt Wimmer (“The Thomas Crowne Affair”), gave Edwin Salt a sex change, renamed her Evelyn, and Jolie got her role.

Evelyn Salt is a CIA agent whose identity comes into question when a Russian defector (Daniel Olbrychski) claims she’s a Russian sleeper-spy (falsely, she believes). 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. Salt’s bewildered co-agents (Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor) are hot on her trail from DC to NYC as she jumps from speeding trucks on the highway, disappears into thin air, only to appear again elegantly and brutally disarming anyone, through charm or harm, who stands in her way.

One of the main reasons to see this film is the seemingly impossible work of Simon Crane, Hollywood’s uncrowned king of stunts, who directed the second unit and coordinated the stunts. He was Timothy Dalton’s stunt double in Bond film, “License to Kill,” jumped from airplane to airplane (yes the airplanes were actually flying) in “Cliffhanger” and has contributed his imaginative stunt craft to more than 50 action films since 1985.

It’s hard not to list his films because they are just that impressive. He has been stunt coordinator and/or second unit director for a dizzying number of movies, including “Cliffhanger,” “Braveheart,” “GoldenEye,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Titanic,” “The Mummy,” “The World Is Not Enough,” “Vertical Limit,” “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” “T3: Rise of the Machines,” “Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life,” “Troy,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “X-Men: The Last Stand,” “Jumper,” “and Hancock.”

Having directed Jolie previously in “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” Crane knew that Jolie is very comfortable with pushing boundaries, which lends an authenticity to her portrayal of a character that is beyond tough. Possessing no fear of heights, she performs her own stunts whenever possible, proving Angelina’s back from the baby world and she’s one tough (and beautiful) mother.

For the action film fan, this is one of the best of the summer. Completely lacking in comedic asides or an abundance of character depth, the action here is straight up and dirty, just the way we like it (most of us, that is). For sheer realistic action choreography and stunt brilliance, this is the one you’re looking for. Enjoy it for what it is, a thrill ride that will get your pulse pumping and your mind racing with the question: “Who is Salt?”

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Alexza DeCroix writes on film and music and lives in New York.