SALT AND FIRE is another clunky misfire from director Werner Herzog, whose last good movie was perhaps RESCUE DAWN back in 2006. I really think he should stick to making excellent documentaries like INTO THE ABYSS as that's obviously where his skill lies nowadays. This is less a film, more a heavy-handed warning against the human cost of man-made ecological disaster. The setting is Bolivia, where a German scientist and some fellow researchers find themselves kidnapped by the mysterious members of an organisation for reasons unknown. The first half of the film is pure awkwardness, not helped by the incredibly stilted line delivery of lead actress Veronica Ferres; the reliable Michael Shannon does his best but even that's not much this time around. The second half has some good visuals, but this subject matter would be much better in a documentary (and a separate documentary on anamorphic art would be a treat too).
Review of Salt and Fire
