When you think of kick-butt female action movie stars, inevitably two words come to mind, no make that three: Beautiful Angelina Jolie. How she manages to look like that with six kids is nothing short of a medical miracle. If I had the pleasure of cohabitating with Brad Pitt, I would be the picture of perfection, too, I’m sure! Well, Angelina is back on the big screen this week in her new action thriller SALT. Jolie plays a CIA officer who has sworn an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. She goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Her efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: “Who is Salt?” This movie combines the best of what we love about Angelina. I sat down with the actress to talk about the movie and her character the elusive Evelyn Salt.

How did you prepare for your role as Evelyn Salt? We met with people in the CIA, the Russian House and ex KGB.

What was the most important thing you learned from them in your preparation? You really do see the sacrifice they make. They can’t talk to their families. They can’t talk to their husbands; so, they live in this kind of isolated world where they kind of move through life, but they don’t communicate. So their commitment to their country is very different from anything that we know.

The action in this film is really off the chart. How do you find whatever you need inside you to even attempt half of this stuff you do in movies? I’ve worked with the same stunt team for the last ten years. They’ve become like family, so I think they get more nervous. When I’m climbing out a window to climb onto a ledge, they’re the first ones to be like, “No, no, wait!” because we’re family, and we love each other…I know they’re going to extra check my harness and my safety rig, and if they say I can go off a bridge, I trust them, and that it’s okay.

Another intense element of SALT is your co-star Liev Schreiber, who is an incredible actor. What was it like working with him? I love Liev’s commitment to detail. As an actor, he is extraordinarily [detailed]. By the time the film was over, he was reading in Russian. Just every detail of his performance, the why and the how [of his character is there.] And you can read that when you see the movie. You can feel it.

You can check out SALT in theatres this week. The film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action. For all of this week’s new movies and more of your favorite celebs, check out my show Reel Critics on Time Warner Cable Video on Demand under the North Texas programming tab, and email me your favorite Angelina Jolie movie for a chance to win a pair of movie tickets to SALT at Vivian@reelcriticstv.com!