Look out Jason Bourne, there’s a new kid in town who has a bigger set than you do and could pretty much kick your butt. Angelina Jolie, as the sultry, scintillating Russian double agent is one of the most exciting action heroes to ever hit the silver screen. Regardless of gender, hers has all of the intrigue and excitement of a Bourne flick, with none of the handheld camera jerks and quick cuts that make director Paul Greengrass’s work so hard to follow. Phillip Noyce, who is responsible for Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger and the gentler Rabbit-Proof Fence, marries Jolie to the medium in a relationship that’s bound to endure.

And get this – I don’t even particularly care for Angelina Jolie. I believe she relies too heavily on her smoldering good looks, relying on posing rather than acting. And try as hard as I might, I still can’t get over that time she was extremely rude to me in a one-on-one interview I did with her about Alexander, in which she unfortunately played Colin Farrell’s mum. In any case, regardless of my previous opinions, there’s no denying that she is amazing as Evelyn Salt.

Who is Evelyn Salt? Enquiring bus banners and billboards want to know. Is she a dedicated CIA agent, or a Russian spy trained from childhood to take down the US government? Is she a doting wife or an unfeeling automaton? Your opinions will change throughout the film, as do the opinions of fellow CIA agents played by Liev Schreiber and Chewitel Ejiofor (whom I will forever envision singing, “In these shoes? I don’t think so” in Kinky Boots), throughout the movie.

It really doesn’t matter that the whole film is one long chase scene – they’re spectacular, and knowing that Jolie does most of her own stunts amps up the thrills an extra notch. There are times when you can actually feel the impact as she’s thrown from vehicles, leaps from semi to semi, or blasts people with a missile launcher she’s fashioned from office furniture and cleaning supplies.

It’s an action thriller that both men and women will appreciate, although for very different reasons. It’s just the cool entertainment you need for a sweltering summer night.

Rated PG-13

—Lisa Johnson Mandell