Winter Soldier provides all the satisfying action, confrontations, and heroism of a tale of its sort, but by emphasizing political/spy machinations in its plot, it actually takes a cue from James Bond movies as well. The movie begins with a mission, led by Cap (Chris Evans) and Natasha (Scarlett Johansson), to rescue hostages from a pirated tanker. They succeed, but once Cap learns that the true purpose of the mission involves protecting confidential SHIELD information rather than saving lives, a schism develops between him and Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Fury is later targeted for assassination by SHIELD's own forces, who suspect him of being a traitor. It isn't long before Cap is on the run and Secretary Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) assumes control of SHIELD in order to further a top secret project. While Cap scrambles to figure out how deep the corruption of his former employer goes, Pierce sends out a Super Solider of his own, codenamed Winter Solider (Sebastian Stan) to eliminate the threat.
The Avengers featured very little of Steve Rogers' adjustment to the modern age after waking from 70 years of cryogenic slumber. But the filmmakers give that element its due here as Cap looks back upon his glory years, ponders how no one else on Earth can possibly relate to his life, and has a heartfelt conversation with a now-elderly Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell in effective old-age makeup). There is indeed something refreshingly old-school about Captain America; he's virtuous and team-oriented but can still kick ass with the best of them. Chris Evans once again shines portraying a hero who provides a compelling antithesis to Robert Downey Jr's sly, sarcastic Tony Stark. And Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson (aka The Falcon) makes for a superior sidekick.
In some sense, Winter Soldier functions as a slightly smaller-scale Avengers. The action sequences range from fluid, martial-arts inspired combat to full-on gadgetry warfare. Sure, real suspense is limited since we know the Captain will be around for future adventures, but in the context of this movie, it's hard not to be impressed with their scope and energy. As far as I can tell, the movie makes only two in-the-moment missteps. One involves Cap's shield; it's one hell of a weapon that protects his upper body from gunfire, but why don't the bad guys ever aim for his legs? Another involves the main villain's master plan. It's an intriguing one, to be sure, but the film only pays lip-service to the morality involved rather than diving in full-throttle like Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and Zach Snyder's Watchmen did.
The Winter Solider lurches forward with the SHIELD arc as opposed to spinning its wheels. Time will tell how this film's single greatest development will affect not only future Avengers movies, but also Marvel's TV show "Agents of SHIELD." And yes, the usual credit cookies are present, one of which teases next summer's superhero smackdown, but that's the cherry on top of the cake. Marvel has learned from past criticisms here; Winter Soldier tells a self-contained story that scores well in the action, plot, and character interaction departments without feeling like just another appetizer for Avengers 2.
Rating: *** (out of ****)
Good review Kenneth. It's popcorn entertainment, but still a lot better than most of what we see.
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