Movies: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Score:  ****1/2 out of ***** (A)

Long Story Short:  Captain America is the last major Avenger to get his post-block party solo outing - and they definitively saved the best for last.  Johansson and Jackson are welcome carry-overs from The Avengers to aid Evans' Captain America who is good but not yet great.  What is great is the bone-crunching, edge-of-your-seat action.  Add a rock solid, ominous yet occasionally humorous script, and a highly contemporary theme and you've got an outstanding blockbuster.


A little change in my movie plans resulted in my seeing the Captain America sequel on opening weekend (which worked out great considering its neat synergy with ABC's "Agents of SHIELD"!).  I hope to eventually get to see Noah before it leaves theaters.  At any rate, there's a good chance of a nice string of movie reviews coming out and before you know it, we'll be in prime summer blockbuster season!  I liked the first Captain America (subtitled The First Avenger) film a lot, with its fresh tone for a superhero film and some great performances (Tommy Lee Jones, etc.).  Since then, the Marvel Avengers universe has only grown, and I looked forward to seeing the Captain America sequel.  The Winter Soldier was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, and stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Steve Rogers (Evans), aka Captain America (or "Cap"), is getting adjusted to life in the 21st century (the first film takes place during WWII... long story, just watch it).  Now an agent for SHIELD, an international defense/intelligence organization, Rogers soon gets called in for a mission to free SHIELD hostages on a ship captured by pirates.  With fellow SHIELD agent Romanoff (Johansson; aka Black Widow) and a team of commandoes at his side, Rogers triumphs - although he also catches Romanoff sidetracked with a different task.  Rogers debriefs at SHIELD's headquarters in Washington, D.C., where director Nick Fury (Jackson) shows him SHIELD's latest high-tech defense plan, Operation Insight.

Soon after, an attack on one of Rogers' friends startles him and makes him question just who he can trust.  With fellow skeptic/mistrusting ally Romanoff at his side, Rogers must figure out what is going on - and who the real threat is in an increasingly complex and dark world.

No one in the cast of The Winter Soldier is on track for an Oscar - but perhaps just as importantly, none of them stink, either.  Chris Evans proved himself a charismatic hero in the first Captain America film; while he got a little lost in the big cast of Avengers, he continues his growth in his solo sequel.  Evans doesn't waver in portraying Rogers as a humble, earnest man powerfully guided by his moral code.  But it doesn't mean he's boring; Evans has good comic timing, typically with dry humor.  Scarlett Johansson is making even more rapid progress in her role as Black Widow.  A nondescript femme fatale in Iron Man 2, Johansson has made her character relatable and tough, with a backstory that has promise but yet to be fully fleshed out (semi-antihero).

Samuel L. Jackson also returns as SHIELD director Nick Fury.  His role is about as big as it was in Avengers, which is considerable.  He doesn't have a lot of nuance - he's a badass, of course - but has shown interesting willingness to bend if not break some moral standards ostensibly in the cause of safety, not something many heroes do in these films.  I was pleasantly surprised to see Robert Redford show up, naturally as the head honcho.  His presence gives the film a great boost to its serious tone.  There are a number of smaller roles, most notably Anthony Mackie as Steve's friend in SHIELD; perhaps the most "likable" character, though unspectacular.

While packed with action, Captain America: The Winter Soldier has higher ambitions than mere popcorn flick.  But the action is a fine place to start.  Honestly, I've been unimpressed with the fight scenes in many recent action films, superhero or not.  This film's action, however, is quite simply kick-ass.  It's certainly helpful that Captain America is stronger than the average human, but not boringly overpowered like Superman.  They don't rely much on CGI, and the hand-to-hand combat is brutal, fast-paced, creative and thrilling (the 300 sequel could only do "brutal").  As mentioned, The Winter Soldier goes beyond just action to dive into some ideas, most notably the very contemporary issue of surveillance and targeting of terrorists/"threats".  Is it a subtle exploration?  No.  But, the film keeps the focus on its characters and when rhetorical language is used it's neither too cliched nor overdone.  And there are actual repercussions at the end of the film, rather than the good guys winning and everything going back to the way it was.  With all the tense action and frighteningly relevant themes, this might have been too dark a film, but it keeps a good thriller-esque tone.  Plus, there's an appropriate amount/type of humor to keep the mood from sinking.

***

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the best superhero movie (though The Wolverine remains an underrated gem) I've seen since The Dark Knight Rises.  Heck, it's one of the best movies I've seen since 2012, period.  Overall, these Cap movies are the best of The Avengers' solo outings.  I love Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man, but the films built around him are less compelling than these.  It starts with having a strong foundation:  good old fashioned bare-knuckle throw downs that rival any action film in recent memory.  There's also eventually a fantasy-like scenario involving the villain, but it's kept to what qualifies as a "minimum" in today's world of cinema.  Add a strong, diverse trio - Evans, Johansson, and Jackson - good scripts and humor, and you have a very good franchise.  There are no major weaknesses here; it's a pretty long film, but the pacing is great.  I guess I'd like to see Evans really become a top-tier superhero/star, but other than that, soldier on, Cap!  Highly recommended.