Captain America: The Winter Soldier
As Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world, he
teams up with another super soldier, the Black Widow, to battle a new
threat from history: an assassin known as the Winter Soldier.
Directors:
Anthony Russo, Joe RussoWriters:
Christopher Markus (screenplay), Stephen McFeely (screenplay), 2 more credits »Stars:
Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson | See full cast and crew »Storyline
For Steve Rogers, awakening after decades of suspended animation
involves more than catching up on pop culture; it also means that this
old school idealist must face a world of subtler threats and difficult
moral complexities. That becomes clear when Director Nick Fury is killed
by the mysterious assassin, the Winter Soldier, but not before warning
Rogers that SHIELD has been subverted by its enemies. When Rogers acts
on Fury's warning to trust no one there, he is branded as a traitor by
the organization. Now a fugitive, Captain America must get to the bottom
of this deadly mystery with the help of the Black Widow and his new
friend, The Falcon. However, the battle will be costly for the Sentinel
of Liberty, with Rogers finding enemies where he least expects them
while learning that the Winter Soldier looks disturbingly familiar.
User Reviews
The most exciting this franchise has been in years
When Fury(L. Jackson,
tough as usual, for him and these) is attacked by an unknown enemy, the
Captain(Evans, will of steel, heart of gold) and Black Widow(Johansson,
sultry and devious – this uses her right, finally) find themselves(they
have a great chemistry, with a charming running gag of her wanting to
pair him up with a girl, going through a list of ones they both know;
and with his straightforward nature, and her relative lack of integrity,
they both affect the other towards them, benefiting both) with no one
else to trust, except perhaps the veteran Falcon(Mackie, amiable), as
they uncover a genuinely devastating truth, while on the run from a
considerable force – including the elusive assassin, The Winter
Soldier(Stan, terrifying, pure awesome pretty much every second he's on
screen).
This is just short of the level of The Avengers. It uses
the strong continuity of the cinematic Marvel(as in, their own studio)
universe better than any of the others, and does justice to many
different elements, most of them set up prior to this. Events occur in
this that will have serious consequences for future entries. The
plot-driven nature and approach of a 70's political thriller(where some
characters, all credible and with something to do, happen to wear a flag
or the like) in a contemporary setting and with biting satire(on
foreign policy, something not entirely new to these, but never before
this sharp… commenting on mass surveillance and executions taking place
before any trial against the (supposed) perpetrator) is spot-on. From a
40's war flick, with heroism and defined lines between good and evil, to
the modern method of taking on the opposition – with spying, and
questionable tactics(compared to one army versus another).
The
action all comes about naturally, it's personal, hard-hitting and, on
account of next to no CGI, it's "real". Each intense set-piece is
varied(fighting, shooting, chasing both on foot and vehicular…), you
will remember them, and except for one bit, they feel fresh and
original. Among the very few weaknesses are that Sharon(VanCamp, another
compelling and strong woman) has nothing to do in this, appearing as if
her important scenes were cut, and/or that she was setup for the next
one. She is the only one that that goes for, a pleasant surprise
considering the seemingly bloated cast of characters. This explores
S.H.I.E.L.D., and how the iconic super soldier fits into it …or, whether
or not he does, at all. The 3D is unobtrusive, adding depth and
atmosphere, similar to Avatar.