Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Movie Review

Marvel Studios so far has done a bang-up job fleshing out their characters on the big screen. Although I liked some films more than others, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” in my opinion is the best solo outing for any of the Marvel films. It is better than the previous Captain America, it is better than both Thor films and it is better than all three Iron Man films.  Given how good all those other movies are, that should tell you how fantastic “A Winter Soldier” is.

Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) is now living in Washington D.C.  In the mornings he goes for his super fast morning run, before checking into his day job at S.H.I.E.L.D.  Steve is now working closely with Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) carrying out missions for Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). 

This time around, Captain America has to deal with a new enemy after Nick Fury comes under attack. A mysterious assassin known as the Winter Soldier arrives in town to cause some serious trouble.  To make things even worse, the Winter Soldier happens to be an agent of the villainous HYDRA organization that wants to wipe out a large chunk of humanity that it doesn’t feel deserves to live.  

There are so many elements that help make “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” stand out.  Part of it, is the heavy political thriller influence. Casting Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, the head of S.H.E.I.L.D. was one hell of a smart move.  He adds so much to the weight of the film.  Also Anthony Mackie is a welcome addition as Captain America’s new friend Sam Wilson aka Falcon.  Mackie is so good, that I hope he earned a spot in the Avengers sequel (although he is not listed on IMDB as being in the film).

The action sequences are also fast and exciting and there is absolutely no shortage of them.  Directors Joe and Anthony Russo who came from working on shows like “Arrested Development” and “Community” and forgettable features like “You, Me, and Dupree”  were definitely a curious choice to put behind a major Marvel film, but apparently the studio knew what they were doing because “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” rocks.

By: Marc Ferman