My absolute favorite comic book arc of all time is "The Winter Soldier" by Ed Brubaker. It introduced one of the most interesting villains ever to grace Marvel Comics, The Winter Soldier, and Brubaker's writing helped renew my interest in the Captain America character altogether. You can only imagine how excited I was when the title of this movie was announced at the 2012 Comic-Con. So did it meet my exceedingly high expectations?
Set two years after The Avengers, Captain America is working for S.H.I.E.L.D. but is growing increasingly uncomfortable with the way that Nick Fury and his agents operate. When Fury stumbles across something he shouldn't have, there is a domino effect which results in the release of the mysterious Winter Soldier, and causes trouble for Cap and Black Widow.
In order to fit into the continuity of the established cinematic universe, certain liberties had to be taken. All of it felt completely natural to the tone created for the film versions of the characters. In addition, the plot goes deeper in theme, development, and substance than it's still impressive predecessor. Whilst the first worked on the level of being satirical towards 1940's war movies, this one has the complexities of a 1970's conspiracy thriller where no one is completely clean. It's also amazingly fitting to our current political climate. In our modern world in which we all look over our shoulder, and watch what we say over the phone in fear of government tapping, the film demonstrates the ramifications and possibilities that those issues present. Freedom at what cost?
What I feel worked to the advantage of this film was that it had a healthy balance of humor and drama, something that was wildly uneven in Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World. Whilst there are moments meant simply to make you giggle, it takes itself seriously when it matters most and doesn't make too much light out of the tensions. The directors Joe and Anthony Russo who are mainly known for their work on Community bring that same sense of balance and character development to this movie. (And they also bring a friend in for a cameo!)
It also makes magnificently brilliant use of it's production budget to choreograph impressive stunt work and construct wondrously eye-popping visuals.
Chris Evans returns as Steve Rogers in yet another wonderfully nuanced take in the character. Rather than just your average "Liberty and Truth" soldier, Evans gets inside the characters head and shows us all the discomforts he feels adapting to our modern society. Not only by acclimating to new technology, but even more richly to our social conventions and methods of seeking justice.
Scarlett Johansson also returns as the Black Widow, who is also hiding her own secrets, but is attempting to understand Captain America's mindset. She is sleek, but also with a sophistication and somewhat flawed interior that makes her more human, and Scarlett plays beautifully to that strength.
Samuel L. Jackson was quite literally made to play the part of Nick Fury. In this appearance of the character, we get to see Jackson go to more fascinating depths than he has in previous films. You can see the range that he can convey when the stakes are raised.
As for The Winter Soldier, it is hard to talk about Sebastian Stan's performance without giving too much away, so what I will say is that he has the emotional capacity to circumference all that the character represents and what is hidden within.
Robert Redford is also enthralling in his turn as senior S.H.I.E.LD. leader Alexander Pierce. He helps to craft a performance that could have been one-note, but instead boasts much more under the surface.
I can't say enough good things about Anthony Mackie. His down to earth personality helps to ground the Falcon with his past as a soldier. The backstory is solid, but it's Mackie who really hits home with his winning personality.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is easily the best Comic Book Movie since The Avengers, and it does justice to my favorite story of all time. It's an all around masterpiece.
A
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