Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

 

Not going to lie: this is one heck of a fun film. It is a lot better than the first outing (which wasn't a slouch either) and because it does try to do some things differently in the wonderful world of comic book adaptations, it sticks out more and is more memorable. 

Also: gotta love Chris Evans. The guy is excellent in the role.

After the thawing of Cap in the previous one, he now has found his stride as an agent for Shield. But during a covert operation on a ship, Cap feels that some things are a bit iffy in the organisation. For one thing, he doesn't feel too comfortable with the fact that people (especially Nick Fury) keep information from him, as it is only natural that you know the full extent of a mission when you're putting your life on the line. 

Things heat up when Nick Fury is attacked and gunned down by an unknown assailant only known as 'the Winter Soldier', an almost mythical assassin responsible for a slew of kills during the past 50 years or so. 

Steve and Natasha Romanoff head out on their own, as they too are being hunted for disobeying the head of Shield - Alexander Pierce. They soon find out that the new helicarriers are programmed to kill possible threats pre-emptively and that all this and the chaotic state of the world since WWII is due to Hydra, which has infiltrated almost everything. Heck, Shield is pretty much Hydra nowadays. Steve and Natasha enlist the help of Sam Wilson aka Falcon to help them bring down the helicarriers before they can install the Fourth Reich, but in the process Steve discovers that the Winter Soldier is his long lost (and thought to be dead) friend Bucky Barnes.

So yes, the plot indeed thickens. 

But why does this one feel a little different and better than a few of the other installments of the Marvel Universe? Because at its core, this one is more akin to a detective/thriller than a mere actionfilm. Sure, there is quite a bit of spectacular action, no doubt, but the intrigue and the backstabbing and politics at the heart of it all play a major role. It is pretty much a case of: "Who can you trust?" It turns out, there aren't a lot of people you actually can trust. Couple that with the discovery that Steve's oldest and best friend turns out to be this brainwashed assassin bent on killing him, and you get a nice recipe for the correct amount of drama. This film also delves a bit deeper into the character of Steve Rogers, which is a nice touch. He actually is just a nice guy who has the rotten luck of being too honest and too trusting at times, which is tough in a world where almost everything is hellbent on backstabbing. 

Also, the idea of an algorithm that keeps tabs on everything everyone does and that can predict whether or not you're a threat to the government: it feels a bit too real at times. Not to be all 'conspiracy theory'-nuts, but can you honestly say that there aren't certain forces that would love to get their mitts on something like this? 

Thought so. 

The action is also really well done: the Russo Brothers don't shoot it in that overly frenetic way, so you can actually follow most of it. What also feels better is that they did try and do as much as possible in camera and less CG. Of course there is still a lot of animated effects in here, but most of the stuff the people do feels more visceral and real. 

Other than the already mentioned points: the acting is very good, and it's fun to see Robert Redford in a role that isn't typically associated with him. So well done there once again.

'The Winter Soldier' is a solid entry in the MCU and one of those films that - if you had to choose - should definitely be on your watchlist. Does it help if you've seen the first one? Yes. Does it detract from the enjoyment if you haven't? Not really, as long as you have a semblance of an idea who the central characters are. So check it out.