Official Synopsis: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
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.
Captain America embodies what America stands for. Well, he did back in the ’40s. The America of today is a far more complex thing. The Watergate affair, the Cold War, 9/11, NSA monitoring, the ending of How I Met Your Mother, we have had generations experience unease and troubling events that have darkened our perception of our world. Throwing Cap into modern day alone is ripe for conflict and a way to provide a reflective mirror over what our society has become. But Marvel and directors Anthony and Joe Russo decided that still wasn’t enough. So they decided to make SHIELD (the one thing he had to connect with) and make that as complex and twisted as the era the first Avenger awoke in.
After the events of The Avengers, Cap (Chris Evans) finds himself a SHIELD agent, working with his own team of operatives and old friend the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). It becomes apparent he is beginning to doubt the motivations and necessity of some of his missions and upon confronting Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) is shown ‘Operation Insight’: three new Helicarriers equipped to seek and destroy any potential threat, the ultimate countermeasure against terrorism and worldwide instability. While contemplating his doubts about the practices and approaches of his employers, Fury uncovers a conspiracy at the highest levels of SHIELD and becomes the target of an elite assassin, the titular Winter Soldier. After being dragged into the middle of all this, Cap is labelled a renegade and finds himself on the run with Black Widow to try and figure out who is behind the conspiracy and why.
At is core, Captain America: TWS is a successful distillation of a political thriller and action movie. It is an interesting change of tack, but it works, like, REALLY well. It is a darker tale, with something rotten and corrupt at the heart of SHIELD. But underneath is still a fun, entertaining superhero movie. With Marvel tackling different genres within their own universe, it keeps the characters fresh and also presents film-going fans with a new spin on themes they enjoy. Different types of cinema allowing them to explore different facets of their own characters. This is very much a personal tale for Cap, he does not know his place in the world and the one thing he can cling to is tarnished. He comes against a brainwashed former friend who is perhaps an omen of what he could become if he continues to blindly follow orders. It is an interesting commentary on our times and way to further develop the character and the Marvel franchise as a whole. In my review of Thor: The Dark World last year, I remarked how Marvel has a swagger in their step now, their films exude a confidence in what they are doing after laying down so much groundwork. That trend continues here, highlighted perfectly by the opening scene where Cap undertakes a mission to rescue some hostages taken prisoner by terrorists. Many have said that Marvel’s loud and colorful approach to their films is what have made them such a breath of fresh air compared to darker approaches, and in a way there is a balance between the two here. If The First Avenger was more of a gung ho, golden age film like The Rocketeer, this sequel is more akin to a Jason Bourne thriller. In keeping with such political thrillers such as All the President’s Men or Three Days of the Condor, from which the film draws, there is a ’70s vibe to the film, old school action (at least until the final act) helping ground things. A lack of CGI, genuine car stunts and wire work all aid in helping solidify the threats encountered.
It is tempting to say that this installment could be the Empire Strikes Back of the series. Steady one minute. I am not referring to its cultural impact or overall quality, but more its tone and how it deals with its characters. It puts them through the mill, an emotional upheaval with dramatic revelations. It takes the hopeful romantic notions of the first installment and drags them through the mud, making them far more interesting as a result. The First Avenger probably edges it in my eyes, due to the heart and fun imbued into it, even in spite of its WW2 setting. But The Winter Soldier is a darker piece about corruption and the fusion of conspiracy thriller and action raises the film above a standard superhero movie.
Chris Evans continues to demonstrate why he is possibly the best casting decision ever made by Marvel. He nails the clean cut, do-gooder type, yet remains intensely likeable. No mean feat. A man out of time, dealing with loss, his sadness is delivered without sentimentality. Even better is his rapport with Black Widow (Johansson) which is taken to a new level here. Pauses in action allow for discussions of Cap’s dating life, providing comic relief but also framing their partnership in a more intimate way. Johansson continues to excel in the role that Joss Whedon fleshed out for her in The Avengers and deservedly gets a large chunk of screentime. Sam Jackson, whose Nick Fury embodies that very trait, gets more time and action finally solidifying his badass reputation. The film also draws on his own acting past in one scene to garner the biggest laugh of the movie. Robert Redford (Alexander Pierce) adds some acting royalty to the film and is perfect in his role, but the best addition to the roster is Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson (The Falcon). A war vet himself, he provides a companion/buddy to Cap that he has sorely missed since his Howling Commandos days. Dealing with loss himself, he acts as a perfect counterpart to Cap and has to be in contention for further appearances within the Marvel universe.
Unlike old Steve Rogers himself, Captain America: TWS is not without its flaws. Firstly, the film is hamstrung by its role as the pivot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There are characters fleetingly mentioned or shown and not fleshed out that without wider knowledge you would label as bad writing, but to some are part of a groundwork for future films, Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp) being the prime example here. In connection to this is the Cap/Winter Soldier connection. It is widely know that this assassin is a familiar face from his past but the reveal lacked the punch it should have had, whether this was down to the Winter Soldier being a pawn/sideshow in respect to a larger story being told in the film or a lack of buildup in the relationship in the first film is up for debate. Another minor quibble was how the film did not really convey the threat or fallout of many of the action scenes or overall stakes upon members of the public. A car chase involving Nick Fury sums this up perfectly, while gripping and impressive, I could not help but contemplate how many innocent people were killed during his pursuit. The juxtaposition with The Avengers during the battle of New York was surprising. Had they not conveyed the threat to the public so effectively during that film I probably wouldn’t have noticed. But The Winter Soldier at times revolves around the internal strife within SHIELD and leaves little scope for the wider world.
A film that seeks to bridge The Avengers and upcoming sequel The Age of Ultron is no easy task but Captain America: The Winter Soldier handles it well while serving as a solid story in its own right. The embrace of a political thriller as the bedrock for this film also shows a desire to keep things fresh. In the title of this review I describe The Winter Soldier as a “bold Marvel film”, and it is. To spend so long building up this Universe is admirable, adding characters, relationships and other layers to it. With this outing they dramatically shake things up. It would have been easy to stretch things out, stay comfortable and just churn out more installments but this film has, to an extent, nixed that. Sometimes to create, one must first destroy. This fragmented Marvel universe is now rich with possibilities and we should all relish where they take us next.