Movie Review: ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’

Captain America has always been a figure of American patriotism, war-prone justice and, more recently, moral value at a time when his heroism is increasingly relevant. His introduction in the 1940s was a propaganda-like inspiration for the destruction of fascism – his revival during the superhero craze of the 1960s brought a message of hope to a country that would soon face the troubles of Vietnam and Watergate.

And in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” the ninth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, he plays activist to an America wary of a looming terrorist threat and dangerously obsessed with technology. Like “The Dark Knight” before it, “The Winter Soldier” is a grittier, more violent sequel but a significantly more powerful film because of it, accompanied by a story line fearlessly aware of the problems in the world it portrays.

Chris Evans reprises his titular role as Captain America, a character attempting to reprise a heroic role of his own – as a man out of time after the events of “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “The Avengers,” Steve Rogers is now somewhat more comfortable with the advanced future he lives in. He continues to fight as an agent of the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, led by director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), alongside the talented Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

Events turn dark as Fury is taken out of action by a mysterious figure, the Winter Soldier, a legendary agent of Soviet Russian times that proves as abnormally strong and capable as Captain America. Links to Rogers’ past come up subtly and quietly as S.H.I.E.L.D. is compromised by internal forces, turning the army of soldiers and operatives against the movie’s few apparent good guys.

Being extremely talented fugitives on the run provides both Captain America and Black Widow time to shine in an excessive amount of action scenes – “The Winter Soldier” is filled with fights harkening back to the style of martial arts films, taking advantage of the hand-to-hand combat that heroes like Iron Man and Thor aren’t as well-known for. Of course, this doesn’t detract from the film’s visual effects requirement, which is even more explosion-obsessed – with large-scale destruction – than a superhero movie is expected to be.

A wealth of supporting characters also successfully make “The Winter Soldier” an iconic representation of the comic books from whence it came. Anthony Mackie plays an ex-military paratrooper turned hero called Falcon, a devastatingly invigorating sidekick to Captain America who takes to the skies to vary the film’s grounded combat scenes. Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, a S.H.I.E.L.D. senior officer with a shady past, is an exemplary casting achievement, harkening back to Redford’s starring role in several political dramas of the 1970s.

What sets “The Winter Soldier” apart from the more playful films in the franchise, and makes it more iconic all the same, is the boldness of its thematic messages. Captain America is used to being a soldier, a follower of the American army who lives to serve and remain trustworthy to his nation. As trust becomes his new downfall, “The Winter Soldier” comments on American feelings at a time when interest in surveillance and security is at an all-time high.

But Captain America is not a man who loses hope in times of hardship; he is a symbol of overcoming adversity and relying upon one’s liberty. The setting and story line, representative of the present-day qualms that citizens worldwide have in their governments and themselves, intelligently allow him to grow into a new leader: one who is open to questioning authority and keeping higher standards for trust but is a determined figure of American freedom all the same.

Because of this, “The Winter Soldier” joins “The Avengers” and “Iron Man” as Marvel Cinematic Universe films in a league above the others. Despite including too many plot twists and being relatively by-the-book in the way of espionage thrillers, Captain America’s follow-up adventure is an exciting sequel for even the most abrasive Marvel critic. Captain America, who hasn’t held the pizzazz of the other Avengers since his introduction, finally seems to have fulfilled a purpose, and it’s a righteously impressive one.

– Sebastian Torrelio