Weekend at the Movies – Captain America – The Winter Soldier

Who’s strong and brave, here to save the American Way? Who vows to fight for what’s right, night and day? Who’ll rise or fall, give his all for America? The Star-Spangled Man with a Plan, that’s who, and this weekend he was back in theaters. Courteous and Savage went to see him in action.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier takes up two years after the events of The Avengers, following Iron Man Three and Thor: The Dark World, with our favorite shield-bearing hero back at work defending the American way. We start with an exciting assault on a S.H.I.E.L.D. vessel, captured by Algerian pirates, but when the Captain (Chris Evans) discovers his partner Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) has a second mission, the true plot-mover is revealed: Project Insight, three new helicarriers (see: The Avengers) with big guns to match their Big Brother network. Are these the mark of a S.H.I.E.L.D. gone horribly wrong, or is there something sinister lurking within? And what will Captain America do when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is shot dead before his eyes?

The Courteous Take

When Marvel began its new Cinematic Universe, way back with the first Iron Man, we were told they had a plan. Now, eight films later, that plan is definitely paying off. The cumulative effect of all those hours spent among superheroes means that even if Captain America: The Winter Soldier weren’t a good film, it would still be capable of feats beyond the average blockbuster. As it happens, it’s also a very, very good film.

The best case-in-point for this MCU effect is Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders, fresh in our minds from her turn in the difficult-but-delightful finale of How I Met Your Mother). In any standalone film, Hill would barely reach throwaway status. What does she do in the film, besides show up and save the heroes a couple of times, and throw her weight behind a couple of key decisions? I’m not sure she has more than ten lines in the movie.

And yet, she feels deeper and more rounded than most of the women in any of the action movies I’ve ever seen seen. Why? Because we already know her from The Avengers. We’ve seen her struggles, and we know that when she tells Nick Fury… that would be a spoiler, but trust me when I say we understand she doesn’t say it lightly.

That goes double for the criminally underrated Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), who gets second billing to the Captain but never plays second fiddle. Winter Soldier is as much her story as it is Steve Rogers’ (that is, Captain America’s); she is his foil, his mirror, his partner, and his friend. Wonderfully, they avoid the easy romance—despite an onscreen kiss—in favor of a much stronger bond.

And let’s not forget Nick Fury, who gets a lot more to do in this film than he has in the past, where he was usually relegated to (admittedly important) stand-and-glower duty. Also, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), the retired veteran who by happy accident becomes Captain America’s trusted friend, confidant, and wingman. (Literally. You’ll see.)

In short, it is the characters of Winter Soldier who shine. The simple fact that this blockbuster action conspiracy thriller can have four major characters, plus at least twice as many smaller named roles, all of whom feel memorable and whole, however long or little they get to share the screen, is only possible because of the MCU’s contiguous approach. And damn, if it isn’t fun.

All of which might leave you with one big question: Who is the Winter Soldier, and why does deserve to get title billing? Remember, I said this was a very, very good film, and while great characters alone might have earned it one very, it’s the rest of the package that earns it two. I won’t go into the Winter Soldier’s true identity—either you know it going in, or you don’t, and the movie is great both ways—but I would like to briefly discuss his role in the film.

If you only consider him scene by scene, the Winter Soldier pretty much just shows up and mucks things up for our heroes with a grenade launcher. But when you step back and examine the film’s thematic underpinnings, he represents so much more: something believed dead and gone, returned; a crack opened in the Captain’s unshakeable faith. Cap’s meeting with the Winter Soldier will not only redirect the course of his life, it will change the face of the MCU to come.

The Savage Rejoinder

With Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Marvel Studios has crafted a first-class spy thriller that stands so well on its own that it’s easy to forget that you’re watching a comic book movie. Credit goes to a sharp script and smart direction, but what really makes it work is the brilliant cast behind the characters.

Chris Evans’ Captain America is humble and optimistic. He still believes in a world where wars are won by soldiers who trust each other and know exactly what they’re fighting for. Such a character can either be boring or comically silly in the wrong hands, but Evans brings a believable sincerity to this part that makes the character endearing. That forthrightness is perhaps the Captain’s most valuable asset in a world where black-ops cynicism breeds mistrust rather than cooperation.

Robert Redford as S.H.I.E.L.D chief Alexander Pierce does much to enhance the movie’s Cold War feel, and seeing him interact with Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury is a true delight. Jackson’s performance particularly shines because we see Fury at his most vulnerable. The eye patch wearing super spy has always been the slick badass who’s emerged from the shadows to impart wisdom or save the day. In Winter Soldier, the man with all the answers becomes the man desperately seeking them. Of course, he’s still a badass.

Scarlett Johansson returns as snarky spy Natasha Romanoff, and Winter Soldier introduces an excellently-cast Anthony Mackie as Samuel Wilson, and neither is underserved. Johansson faces a crisis of conscience in this film that brings refreshing depth to her character. Wilson makes the most of his part as he flits between weary veteran, support group leader, and ace in the air—plus, the genuine chemistry between Mackie and Evans will carry nicely into future films.

Sebastian Stan portrays the eponymous villain, the Winter Soldier. Like Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight, he gets relatively little screen time, but he’s just as intense and intriguing. Courteous’s thematic underpinnings aside, I fear his character gets lost in the shuffle quite a bit, which may make some wonder why the subtitle wasn’t saved for a third film.

For a major antagonist, he often feels like a glorified henchman, and as frightening and heartbreaking as the character proves to be, he mostly feels like a setup for a sequel. But, since this is a Marvel movie, it doesn’t make the film any less enjoyable. Besides, the Winter Soldier isn’t really the film’s main villain.

The true menace is not drawn from the pages of our favorite comics, but from the headlines of our newspapers: a culture of distrust, particularly the intelligence community’s distrust of the average American. When S.H.I.E.L.D (the NSA on steroids) lets the fear of domestic threats give way to treating every American as a potential threat—destroying freedom for the sake of security—it opens its resources to abuse from darker forces within.

This may seem like a cliché in post-9/11 cinema, but that’s precisely why popular movies need to press the issue. Few do it as intelligently and spectacularly as this film, and without sacrificing any of the fun and adventure comic book movies should provide. This may be Marvel Studios' best effort yet, and is further proof that superhero movies can be far more than mindless action spectacles.

Where Do We Go From Here?

T: The obvious answer would be back to The Avengers or Iron Man Three. The even more obvious answer would be to tell you to go see Guardians of the Galaxy when it comes out in August. But there’s a more interesting answer to be had.

If Captain America: The Winter Soldier is anything, it’s a proof of concept of everything wrong with Man of Steel, which took its cues from the popular fetishized love of “flawed” characters, and in doing so sapped Superman of everything that makes him good and true and marvelous. Winter Soldier presents the alternative: the struggle of a man without flaw to exist within and make right a flawed world. I'll let you decide which one is the more satisfying effort.