Salt: Movie Review

Salt:  Movie Review

Review by Stacey Tuttle

A Russian defector comes to the CIA with information about an assassination plot and names the CIA agent interviewing him, Evelyn Salt, as the assassinator.  Of course, this seems ludicrous.  Salt is trusted by her colleagues and has proven herself and her loyalty to her country, even to the point of refusing to break cover while enduring capture and torture as a CIA spy in foreign country.  However, questions arise as Salt goes on the run.  It isn’t too long before the truth comes out.  Salt is a product of a Russian program to train children to be sleeper agents.    Sweet, innocent, innocuous little children are trained as spies and sent into an unsuspecting America with the intent of destroying the country at a later time, whenever their trainers signal.  The idea is that the programming done to children will be so deeply entrenched it will be unalterable. 

It strikes me that our enemy must be employing similar strategies to derail our Christian faith and culture and even our great Nation to the extent that it was founded on Christian principles.

I cannot help but notice some of the ways in which Satan appears to be doing his best to reach the youth, and essentially train them as sleeper agents for his kingdom.  He has taken away respect for authority.  He has effectively killed the idea of a good father figure.  Television shows and movies lead kids to believe they are the all wise and their parents are buffoons.  They are taught to believe that life revolves around them and that their wants, needs and desires should come first – they have rights, after all.  Their music speaks of chaos, anger, sex and drugs.  (And as a side note, I might point out that Hitler felt music was critical to reaching and controlling the youth.)  I could go on, but it would be a very long article that tried to expose the myriad of ways in which Satan attempts to lure in and deceive the youth. 

So, the enemy lures in the children.  Fills their head with dangerous ideas, deceptions and half truths.  He doesn’t so much care that they go awol right then, just so long as they are primed.  Just so long as they are ready to rebel, ready to self-destruct their life and the lives of those around them when the time comes—that is enough.  And certainly we see it happening all around us.  Divorces are ever increasing.  Depression, suicides, addictions…  When the sleeper agents grow up, they wreak havoc. 

But in the movie, one sleeper agent, Evelyn Salt, did not do as she was programmed.  Not only did Salt not follow commands, not only did she defend her President and her country, but she waged war against the enemy—the very enemy who had tried to program her and use her for his/its evil purposes.   What happened?  What was it that short circuited her programming?  What was powerful enough to overrule the brainwashing she had received as a child?  Love.  One simple little thing, powerful enough to conquer any enemy, any programming, any brainwashing. 

And it is that same, simple, powerful thing which is the key to overcoming the tactics of the enemy in lives of our children (and frankly in ourselves as well).  Love.  Not just any love, but the love of Christ. 

Questions for Discussion:

• What evidences do you see that the enemy targets children?
• When have you witnessed the transformational power of love?
• Have you found the love of Christ in your life?
• Do you find that you have been programmed or brainwashed to believe things that are self destructing or damaging to others?  How do you fight against those thoughts/ideas/urges?