Had Tom Cruise played the role of CIA agent-slash-alleged Russian sleeper spy (as it was first offered to him) instead of Angelina Jolie for the film “Salt,” would it have worked out the same?

It would be hard to imagine, because Jolie—one of the very, very few female Hollywood actresses who can carry an action film with a sense of reputable dominance and credibility like the usual male leads—was, in one word, “kick-ass.”

For most of the 100-minute running time of this espionage thriller that spans the period of the Cold War to the present, Jolie is seen taking to stunt after stunt as if she was just playing jumping rope or hula hoop (yes, that effortlessly impressive). She leaps from one truck to another in one highway scene, makes an improvised bomb using a metal chair and fire extinguisher in another, walks carefully (and on bare feet!) over thin ledges outside her tall apartment building, knocks (and guns) down armed men, and… can we breathe now?

At the onset, one may think that CIA agent Evelyn Salt (Jolie), who is accused of being a Russian spy tasked to kill the Russian president by a Russian defector, Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski), is just that—an accused. But then she does what any seemingly guilty person does: runs away, thereby causing confusion among her colleagues, particularly Winter (Liev Schreiber) and Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

And just as when we have made up our minds about where her loyalty really lies, another twist pops up, and then another, and then another. Writer Kurt Wimmer really lived up to the film’s argument: Who is Evelyn Salt?

As with most spy films, the story may be bizarre and confusing at times, but if viewers suspend their disbelief, they may just appreciate (or should we say, love) the entertainment value offered by “Salt.” And if one is really into reality, recent reports indicate that eleven men and women were arrested in the United States for being alleged spies for the Russian government, thereby uncovering the long-buried tension that existed between former Cold War foes America and Russia.

This Phillip Noyce-directed film is not all about action (although it’s mainly what keeps the grip), though. Here, we find Jolie portraying a flawed human heroine (who speaks Russian in some parts!). And even if she does a lot of dirty work (like a real man, take that!), Jolie is able to maintain her fierce and sensual presence that has become her signature.

Noyce and Jolie manage to capture audience attention from the very beginning when the latter is seen all bloodied and tortured in a prison cell in North Korea, begging for her dear life, repeatedly saying, “I’m not a spy, I’m not a spy…”

However, because of the twists that keep the audience guessing where Salt’s loyalty really, really lie, it may be difficult for them to sympathize with her character especially during the second half of the film. And the ending was quite disappointing, too—after all the chase, the action suddenly stops and… that’s it?

In this day and age when movies pride themselves with the best uses of technology (hello expensive 3D theaters), here comes “Salt” in which reel can almost translate to real when it comes to believability of stunts and intensity of action scenes.

In coming out with this film, Jolie is elevated into female “Bond” status. Why not give her her own spy film series? Because, as she has constantly proven with all the action movies she has done in the past, women rock!