"Captain America : The Winter Soldier " Movie Review

(SPOILER FREE)

I've said it before and I’ll say it again: Marvel deserves credit for taking risks with their movies. In what they call Phase 2 (starting after the Avengers Movie), they have taken Iron Man and Thor on unfamiliar journeys in Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 respectively, leaving them significantly altered from where they started off.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (CA:TWS) takes it a step further, looking to change the outline of the Marvel Universe entirely. Designed less as a superhero film and more as a taut political conspiracy thriller, it succeeds in that aspect, blending the famous storyline from the comic books with present day paranoia against government agencies.

In CA:TWS, Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) finds himself still working for S.H.I.E.L.D. though he is less enthusiastic about their preemptive methods of delivering justice. His differences with Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) and the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) soon take a back seat when an audacious attack in broad daylight on one of their own results in tragic consequences. Left with only an encrypted device and the final words of the victim not to trust anyone, Captain America finds himself targeted by the very agency he works for and on the run.

 From there on in, the movie turns into a stylized conspiracy thriller with each unearthed clue opening up another box of questions which need to be answered. Aided by the only two people he can rely on, Cap finds himself disillusioned and struggling to come to grips with the reality that the only institution he believed in and worked for may not be what he thought it was.

There is a lot to like in this movie:

• The action sequences look great as there are more one-on-one combat fights without jerky camera movement. The starting fight between Captain America and the comic book villain Batroc (Ultimate Fighting Championship Welterweight champion George St Pierre) aboard the ship is itself brilliant, followed later on by two assaults on the freeway and later on the highway, the fight in the lift, the multiple innovative uses of the shield… all are well choreographed. In fact, I prefer them over the CGI action moments.
• For once, character development of the peripheral players is not taken for granted. No one leaves this movie unscathed. Scarlett Johansson finally gets a lot of screen time and opportunity to showcase her acting skills besides her looks (oh! And what looks they are! Le magnifique!) Her moments with Captain America are really endearing. Like her, Samuel L Jackson has a major role too and nails it. Robert Redford, playing a senior member of SHIELD and a close friend of Samuel Jackson, has a role he is familiar with – having worked in quite a few conspiracy theory movies in the 80’s. Great casting there. Anthony Mackie as an ex-army man ‘pilot’ is a wonderful addition to the cast and excels in his scenes. I loved his ‘re-entry’ moments after a character is thrown off a building. I sincerely hope he will be there in future editions.
  

• Captain America and the Winter Soldier: It’s hard to say a lot without giving away the plot. Cap is no longer “the man from a different era”. He’s caught up to the world and it’s ways… and that only adds to his disillusionment. Chris Evans does a way better job of it than I expected him to, frankly. Kudos for that. The Winter Soldier has a tremendous entrance sequence and the fight sequences involving him are really menacing. He also has a story arc which will make you ponder a bit as more about him is revealed during the course of the movie.
• Humour: Marvel has never shied away from using humor in their comic book movies and this is no exception. Credit to the writers for some truly hilarious one-liners all well meshed in with the situation, unlike Thor 2 which felt a bit awkward at times. The “air conditioning” joke had the audience in splits for a good 15-20 seconds!
• A lot of the credit should go to first time directors, the Russo Brothers. They've previously worked in the highly underrated TV show Community (watch out for a cameo from of their cast members in there too) and their love for melding genres which is seen in the Tv show is beautifully done here – there is a good sense of mystery for the greater part of the movie as you try to figure out who is behind this elaborate deception, subtle humour which I've spoken about, all the characters have well balanced story arcs and the action sequences too are top notch.

I would place this movie as one of the best from the Marvel stable, probably behind the Avengers and at par with Iron Man. Worlds that they've build across nearly a decade are torn down and characters find themselves in truly uncertain territory as the credits role.        

I’m going with 5/5 for this movie for the perfect blend

 of comic book adventurism and spy thriller/espionage genre.

  

P.S. : For Marvel Comic fans, this movie is like Nirvana. There must be over a dozen “Easter Egg” scenes and references which will make you giddy with joy as you catch them. 

• Obvious references to Iron Man and the Hulk aside, there are also subtle nods to characters who will be developed in the coming movies (Dr Strange/ Crossbones). 
• There is a pretty awesome homage to a major villain from the comic books whom I never thought would make it to the big screen because his comic book character just looked too silly to recreate. Brilliantly done.
• The original writer of the "Winter Soldier" story arc in the comic books, Ed Brubaker, has a cameo too as does our old fav, Stan Lee.

Oh, how significant this scene actually is!

• There are nods to the “Agents of SHIELD” episodes on television right now. 
• There is even a brilliant tip of the hat to the classic movie, Pulp Fiction, at the end. 
• More importantly, there are subtle moments that seem insignificant (The Winter Soldier using the Captain’s shield, a female agent innocuously practicing shooting at the police range) that have a very foreboding significance if you’ve read the comic arc of both characters.    

Obviously, it goes without saying that you have to stay back after the credits for two scenes, one of which has direct relevance to the next Avengers Movie due next year.