Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2014.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.
Starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo, Robert Redford, Cobie Smulders, Toby Jones, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell and George St-Pierre.
SYNOPSIS:
Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier.
Full of eye popping fight scenes, awesomely cool characters and an unexpectedly intelligent foray into a question of morals, 136 minutes will fly by in an instant as Captain America: The Winter Soldier is promoted in rank as one of the best Marvel Universe films thus far.
Nearly fully acclimatised to the modern day USA, the hulking Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) find his honesty and good-nature challenged as S.H.I.E.L.D. is corrupted by a past enemy. This latest threat even has the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), on edge as his boss Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) casually looks on. The Captain is soon let in on the top-secret, brand new hi-tech heli-carriers that the division has been building in an underground bunker. Soon to be permanently deployed in the sky, they are set to eliminate any potential human threats to the future Earth. But are they a legitimate form of security or do they represent something more sinister?
Along the way, the Cap’ faces a new foe; the bionic armed Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). A definite force to be reckoned with, the Winter Soldier is equipped with the same, if not more developed, strengths as the Captain. Unfortunately, the Winter Soldier is most definitely not fighting on the same side as the magnificently muscled Captain America. Accompanied by the sultry, ass-kicking Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and the formidable former soldier Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), the trio must fight to save the integrity of S.H.I.E.L.D., defeat the Winter Soldier and more importantly prevent the deaths of millions of possible future threats who may or may not pose a risk to the order of the Earth.
Most interestingly, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is not your average Marvel superhero flick. With one foot firmly planted in the action genre, the other hovers over the political-thriller zone, an area that never normally grants access to a superhero. In reality, we live in an increasingly disordered world, rife with riots, revolutions and violence and The Winter Soldier touches upon these nasty subjects with a surprising amount of candour. The question posed begs a difficult answer; would you kill an innocent human being who potentially poses a threat to you, to ensure that threat doesn’t become a reality? Okay, this may sound a little bit like the plot to Minority Report, but it is dealt with on a much larger scale. Despite coming from a World where war was raging and the Nazi’s were committing atrocious crimes, Captain America still has a tough time trying to come to terms with the right choice. Of course, being the decent, honest and law-abiding citizen, we can count on him to make the right decision.
In a largely CGI crazed Universe, the directors Anthony and Joe Russo (Arrested Development, You, Me and Dupree) have done their very best to use as little as possible (it really isn’t necessary to see this in 3D by the way) and the film looks fantastic. Training has certainly paid off for Evans and Co. as the multiple fight scenes are breathtakingly good. Fight choreography in The Winter Soldier is amongst the best in all Marvel films so far. The opening scene upon a hijacked ship is a spectacle in itself, only bettered by the crazy altercations between the Cap’ and the Winter Soldier. Every fight is masterfully created and executed that you will quite literally be out of breath just watching them. Samuel L. Jackson endures one of the coolest car chase scenes in his long career and Johansson more than proves that she could easily hold her own in her own Black Widow spin-off.
As ever, Evans delivers as the excruciatingly toned Captain America. Despite his size and power, his humanity shines through. His newfound comfort in the 21st century is shrouded in the pain of his past life and this is hauntingly evident (although the Academy Awards certainly won’t be a’knockin’. We’re talking super-hero standards here). Anthony Mackie is excellent as Sam Wilson. The ex-soldier that Captain America befriends brings an interesting dynamic to the team, rightfully earning his place as the Captain’s right hand man and hopefully as one half of a new dynamic duo. Sebastian Stan has clearly been working out for his role as the nonchalant, swaggering enemy. He may lack screen time and can be somewhat forgettable but his role is no less important.
There may however be a few shortcomings with Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Some shoddy dialogue, mostly between Black Widow and Steve Rogers is eye-wateringly awful. Written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (the team behind Captain America: The First Avenger, Pain and Gain) you may be unwilling to believe that they are responsible for The Winter Soldier discrepancies and well, you would be right. Rumour has it that Johansson and Evans are the brainboxes behind those scenes, insisting on writing their own dialogue. Take note: this is a prime example of why the pretty people stay in front of the camera, not behind it.
Overall, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is well worth your hard-earned cash. It is not your usual superhero no-brainer filled with action and punchy one-liners; instead it’s filled with actual punches, double high kicks and politics not too far from real life. That’s right, no aliens, no Demi-gods and certainly no giant robots but you really won’t miss these usual Marvel hijinks. The Winter Soldier is thoroughly enjoyable and will easily keep your attention for its entire duration.
Don’t forget to stay until the end of the credits though…
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Sadé Green
Originally published March 31, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
