"This isn't freedom. This is fear".
Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is coming off the Avengers battle in New York, and still figuring out how to fit in to the modern world. Interestingly, SHIELD couldn't be in any better position of power, with advanced weaponry at their fingertips. However, some of this weaponry is making SHIELD make some pretty large mistakes, too. Steve senses trouble and disagrees with what the agency is trying to do. Just when it was having its best days, Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is ambushed by enemies disguised as police officers, and shot down by a mysterious antagonist known as the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). Told to trust no one, Steve teams up with Natasha Romanoff (a.k.a. Black Widow, Scarlett Johannson) to try and figure out what is causing SHIELD to slowly fall apart and go towards semi-terrorist agendas.
The action is probably some of the most impressive action I have seen in a Marvel film to date. I was on the edge of my seat, going "oh.....that's gotta hurt!" several times. I don't think I've been thrilled by a movie like this in a while. The cinematography is slickly-done, so are the sound effects that compliment the action. Altogether, I just was wowed by it.
The acting is good, as usual. But perhaps the biggest stand-out here is Robert Redford, who plays a convincingly great and conniving Alexander Pierce. He brings an interesting and well-intentioned personality to the character. I always have enjoyed Evans' and Johannson's performances in the Marvel movies, though I actually enjoyed Black Widow more here than I did in The Avengers. She lets out a little bit of her soft side here, which was really interesting. Jackson, great as usual. And Anthony Mackie and Stan do pretty good as technical opposites between Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Henry Jackman does a good job with the music score.
One of the best things about Winter Soldier is that it does something that I haven't seen in a superhero movie before. And that is it has a touch, just a touch, of the political thriller genre in its storytelling. The movie's main message is that should we not follow our inner conscience on what's right, disaster may strike. And the fact that SHIELD is put down here is not just a serious twist, but it winks at the fact that terrorism could build in our government should we keep going in controversial directions.
On the downside, like Man of Steel, Winter Soldier can seem overwhelming at times. The action keeps going at a fast rate, to the point where it can become too much. In the end, I do wish it could have been a little shorter, but it works for the most part. It also can feel a little scary at times, too, especially with the car crashing and knife-related combat.
Marvel is definitely stepping up their game. With Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 3 being generally more darker than their predecessors, it would make sense for this to dwell in murkier waters. Its both good and bad.
When I say it is a good thing, it means that the story-lines are getting more and more interesting, and more and more exciting. And the action has been stepped up to thrilling levels, out whiz-banging The Avengers while its' at it. When I say it is a bad thing, it means that sometimes things are pushed a little over-the-top at times, and even in terms of content, sometimes over-the-top doesn't make for a movie that even younger kid Avengers fans may be able to handle.
But, still, despite those minor potholes, The Winter Soldier was still a blast to watch. The action was great, the visual effects, stunning. But there's something else here that I haven't been able to find in any other film starring comic book characters in tights: the term thought-provoking. Why would you find it in a superhero film? The screenwriters have done a terrific job putting just a bit of political controversy in a genre that always encourages doing the right thing.
When I came out of the theater, all I can think of is this: If Marvel can raise the bar this high, I can't even imagine what it will be like for Avengers: Age of Ultron next year.
Score: 8.7/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of
Language: Falcon blurts out the s-word (once fully, once partially obscured). Some other scattered mild-to-moderate profanity, including eight uses of "d---", a half-dozen of "what the h---?", and one each of "a--", "son of a b----" and "oh my g--".
Adult Content: Limited to Black Widow and Cap kiss once while undercover. A senator makes an innuendo about an affair with a reporter.
Violence: Frequent and intense. While blood is kept to an overall minimum, there's still lots of explosions, car crashes, destruction, and brutal fighting. The most intense of these include a couple uses of knives that impale someone's hand and someone's shoulder. The body count is noticeably up from recent Marvel movies as well. A machine threatens thousands of lives. Some combat and a handful of punches. A main character is shot repeatedly. Cap is nearly killed (but is saved). The Winter Soldier is said to have been involved in many murders. Black Widow is shot in the arm. Another character is shot in the chest. A few are electrocuted by electricity-infused badges. Someone is tortured with a brainwashing machine.
Drugs/Alcohol: None (that I can remember).
Other: A bit of lying. Some political undertones that may provoke some mixed thoughts.
