"With everything that's happening, the things that are about to come to light, people might just need a little old-fashioned." - Agent Phil Coulson, The Avengers
After The Avengers was forced to excise an entire subplot revolving around Steve Rogers adapting to the 21st century for time reasons, that gave screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, returning to screenwriting duties following Captain America: The First Avenger, the opportunity to explore Steve Rogers as a man out of time in his sequel: Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In this film, Steve's ideals are tested harder than before as his own reason for fighting is almost threatened to be futile.
Thanks to strong direction by Anthony and Joe Russo, making their MCU debut, The Winter Soldier fires on all cylinders as one of the very best of the canon. It's thematically rich, packed with strong performances, and drives the MCU forward in huge ways. It is for all intents and purposes Avengers 1.5 not just due to the size of its cast but also because of the ramifications this story has on the rest of the universe, both in the movies and on TV (as I mentioned previously, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was completely changed by the revelations in this movie). It is also my favorite of the phase two films by far, proving once again that this version of Captain America works extremely well thanks to the deep understanding of the character.
The film starts with a rarity in the MCU by this point: a reprisal of a theme song. Hints of Alan Silvestri's Captain America theme from The First Avenger play as Steve Rogers makes his entrance training with future friend and ally Sam Wilson/The Falcon (played with sharp and witty charm by Anthony Mackie). As the film progresses, Captain America's original theme disappears, replaced by a more thunderous and defiant sounding theme composed by Henry Jackman. This plays into the recurring theme throughout the film that his ideals, once symbolic of America's values, are now almost defiantly opposed to what America has become in the time he's been gone. This also reflects in his more dour uniform he wears on missions with S.H.I.E.L.D., until he suits up in his classic uniform for the final battle, signifying his return to what he truly stands for.
One of the most brilliant scenes that plays out this theme occurs early in the film when Nick Fury briefs Steve Rogers on the Insight program, which uses three Helicarriers programmed with an algorithm that can target hostile targets both present and future across the globe. This notion of wiping out targets before they've done anything terrifies Rogers, and rightfully so. Steve Rogers grew up in a world where the bad guys were easy to pick out because they were doing bad things. In this day and age where people are under surveillance 24/7 whether or not they're potential threats, Steve can't bring himself to understand how people can possibly be truly free. This dilemma occurs throughout the film, culminating in the revelation that Hydra is using and has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and the US government to continue shaping the world into what they want it to be.
This film came in the wake of the NSA revelations made by Edward Snowden, even though the writers swore the connection was purely coincidental. This only helps the film's relevancy, serving as a commentary and examination on which Americans would rather have: unlimited security or unlimited freedom. S.H.I.E.L.D. believes it should be security, and Steve believes it's freedom. And in the end, one of these two is left standing.
I also believe the film, through various rewatches in today's political climate, is also a rather haunting parable for how easily fascism can infiltrate and corrupt the seemingly incorruptible. I don't want things to get too political in this retrospective, but I believe that only makes the film even better the more time passes. It is more than a cautionary tale of the dangers of surveillance; it warns of the ever-changing face of tyranny, and how it has changed to look and sound just like us.
Of course, this is still a superhero movie, so there's gotta be some action to go with that political tension. Luckily, The Winter Soldier delivers some of the best action beats of the whole franchise, especially the brilliantly choreographed highway fight. The climax does shoot a bit over the top (Wilson getting chased by the Helicarrier and falling debris is simply too much), but the gigantic explosions and flying ships falling from the sky are alleviated by the deeply personal battle between Captain America and the Winter Soldier.
Once again, even as things go boom, the characters and the actors that portray them are what keeps fans coming back. Chris Evans gets a lot more meat to chew this time around, now playing a far more conflicted character fighting against the institutions he once believed in for the sake of the people. He plays off extremely well with Scarlett Johannson's Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, who gives her best performance yet in the MCU because she's not played up to be vulnerable, nor exists only to set up later films. In this film, she has her own agenda and has her loyalties tested. But she remains strong, even as she's targeted by the assassin that already almost killed her once.
The rest of the cast doesn't slack off either. As previously mentioned, Anthony Mackie brings a ton of charm to the role, making him one of the most immediately likable characters in the MCU. Even though he's historically Captain America's sidekick, they give him his own personality and legitimate reasoning to follow Cap. Samuel L. Jackson returns once again as Nick Fury, though his role is very limited this time around. Still, he gets some great dialogue during his presence on screen and even a few cute in-jokes to his life and career. Finally, freaking Robert Redford did a Marvel movie, guys. His presence adds a large amount of legitimacy and gravitas to the story, and makes his turn all the more shocking.
There's one more cast member worth mentioning that ties into one other theme that plays out in the film: past vs. present. Sebastian Stan returns as James "Bucky" Barnes, now hypnotized and transformed into a super assassin by Hydra called the Winter Soldier. Although the reveal is made late in the film and could have made the whole thing feel too busy, it actually ties in extremely well. Bucky was one of the few people Steve could still believe in, so having to fight against his best friend who now has blood on his hands adds some heightened drama. Like I previously said, the fight between the two in the climax grounds an otherwise crazy battle. So if Steve represents the past that comes back to save us, I suppose it's not too much of a stretch to say that Bucky represents the past that comes back to haunt us. After all, he is the result of Hydra experimentation and he has been responsible for many world-changing assassinations. Yay, artistic interpretations! Take that, you thematically weak Thor films!
After watching this film, it's hard not to see why Marvel Studios brought the writing and directing team back together for Captain America's third outing and then some. The film pulls off a careful balancing act with all of its characters while also packing it with juicy thematic depth and social commentary. It's got satisfying action sequences, while also maintaining just enough levity without going overboard. It's one of the only sequels in the MCU that's unquestionably better than its predecessor, and not by a small margin either. And this is coming from someone who absolutely loves Captain America: The First Avenger.
We're going to make a major shift with the next movie, and easily Marvel's riskiest project yet. For their 10th film, Marvel Studios took a risk and gave a writer/director best known for schlocky comedies a team-up featuring many of Marvel's C-list characters. A huge risk for sure.
But it worked. It worked big time.
Next time: Guardians of the Galaxy
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