Steve Rogers AKA Captain America
(Chris Evans) continues his adjustment to 21st century life after
his thaw from the deep freeze (in Captain
America: The First Avenger) and befriends a fellow veteran, Sam Wilson (Anthony
Mackie). On a typical mission for
S.H.I.E.L.D., Cap and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) lead a team of agents to
rescue a pirated ship which turns up an interesting bit of information. Meanwhile, as S.H.I.E.L.D. readies the major
launch of a defense system in Washington, D.C., there are growing concerns
expressed by boss Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to his superior, Alexander
Pierce (Robert Redford). As suspicions
multiply, all hell breaks loose when there is an assassination attempt on one
of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s own. The conspiracy leads Captain America to a
confrontation with a mysterious, formidable figure, The Winter Soldier
(Sebastian Stan), whose strength and skills are extraordinary. With only a
small circle of comrades, everything Cap has come to value comes crashing down.
Loyalties are tested and just who will survive a major shift in the world order
is just the beginning of an insidious plot.
For fans of Cap, these are grand
times as the filmmakers have chosen a major story arc (The Winter Soldier) from
his comic annals and incorporated Silver Age characters, e.g. The Falcon (Mackie)
and Batroc. Recently, super hero films have chosen to bend the rules and take
chances with tradition. This film goes much further than any previous Marvel adaptation. It features a good mystery, topical subject
matter on individual privacy, and significant plot twists so much so that it is
essential for the viewer to watch them unfold without any spoilers. The smart script contains witty lines amid a
pervasive feeling of mistrust and paranoia.
When Cap responds to Fury’s state of the art weaponry to combat threats and
says, “This isn’t freedom. This is fear,” it sums up the theme of the story. Think
of this as homage to 1970s conspiracy classics like Three Days of the Condor, The
Parallax View, and Marathon Man. The film also employs moments that references
Mission Impossible, The X Files, RoboCop, and 24.
Acting is uniformly strong as some
old, familiar faces return, and a few new ones get introduced. By now Evans has become the embodiment of the
iconic hero, retaining his sense of justice, duty, and morals, virtues which are
downright refreshing in a post 9/11 world.
Rogers is a Rip Van Winkle out of his time and still learning to assimilate
the world changes and cultural references with amusing results. Evans’ chemistry with Johansson is believable yet
ironic since their two characters have vastly different backgrounds. In a costarring role, Johansson’s Black Widow
is resourceful, smart, and deadly as a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative whose history is
only beginning to be scratched. Perhaps
Black Widow should have her own film!
Jackson’s Fury has an expanded role and
reveals more facets of his mysterious background. Robert
Redford (All the President’s Men) has
a significant, atypical role as a high level official, and he is outstanding. His
presence alone adds legitimacy and authority to the film. Mackie (The
Hurt Locker) is an ideal buddy in arms to Evans. Emily VanCamp makes a good first impression
as a young agent, and Cobie Smulders (returning as Agent Maria Hill) provides
solid backup.
The many impressive action sequences
are noteworthy for their ferocity and meticulous detail, but the standouts are
a mad, opening car chase through the streets of D.C., and a remarkable fight in a glass elevator that surpasses the gem in Die Hard: With a Vengeance. There
are moments of intense hand to hand combat that recall the best moments of the Bourne
films on steroids. You’ve also got to love
that shield; the film wisely displays all the creative ways Cap’s shield is employed
in combat. The violence here is realistically
depicted and not cartoonish which pushes its PG-13 rating. Extensive use of handheld cameras and more live
action special effects than CGI lend a stronger sense of realism. D.C. locations make a splendid backdrop for
much of the film.
Taking super hero filmmaking to new
heights, Captain America: The Winter
Soldier successfully interconnects what we know from previous films and effectively
challenges you to reevaluate everything in the Marvel Universe. It certainly helps to have seen the previous
films, but there is sufficient background and context that a casual outsider
would still enjoy it. (Fans of TV’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will have a field
day as the events tie directly with the show.)
Though the film ends with open
ended story threads that beg for another sequel, consider this as The Empire Strikes Back of Captain
America. That’s not such a bad place to be.
(As usual, don’t forget two post
credit scenes which are significant.)
***1/2 of **** stars (add 1/2 * for
Marvel fans)
