Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Once the gamble of creating a unified cinematic universe paid off for Marvel Studios with 2012’s “The Avengers,” the studio then had the latitude to play around a bit with the formula, and what we’ve come to expect from these films. And with the three Phase Two films we’ve seen thus far, that’s definitely been the name of the game. Yes, it may have disappointed quite a few die-hards, but I can definitely see “Iron Man 3” earning a lot of goodwill from even some fans who dismissed it upon release by the time this first leg of Marvel’s world-building (which will end with the inevitable “Avengers 3”) is said and done. And because the cosmic and the Earthbound were well established as co-existing in “Thor,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” and “The Avengers,” that made the leaps to unknown worlds easier to accept in “Thor: The Dark World.” And did I mention the out-of-left-field “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Ant-Man” films which will be book ending “Avengers: Age of Ultron?”
Now, we have “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” and screenwriters Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and directors Joe & Anthony Russo, have delivered not only the best Phase Two film to date, but also the best MCU sequel. Veterans of TV comedy shows such as “Arrested Development” and “Community,” the Russos bring their wit and understanding of how to embrace high-concepts (put to the test regularly with the wickedly-absurd “Community”) to good use in crafting a film that not only fits the requirements of being a superhero movie, but also an old-school political thriller like “The Day of the Jackal” or “3 Days of the Condor.” More than that, though, “Winter Soldier” is a game-changer in terms of the MCU as a whole, with revelations that will not only have an effect on future Marvel movies, but also TV’s “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” which started off shaky, but has gotten more confident the more it’s become intertwined with the cinematic universe. In that case, in particular, it’s going to be interesting to see how the show handles the reverberations coming from “Winter Soldier.” After this point, possible spoilers may emerge. You’ve been warned.
First, though, I’d like to give a huge shout-out and welcome to the MCU to Sam Wilson, aka Falcon. I’ve gotten the impression when reading about “Winter Soldier” that Wilson’s origins in the comics have been, shall we say, less than satisfying over the years. Here, he is an Iraq war veteran, working at the VA with people having trouble adjusting to civilian life, and dealing with PTSD, and he’s introduced right away when he is jogging in DC, and Cap, with his super strength, is lapping him constantly. As they cool down, Wilson and Steve Rogers hit it off right away, and no wonder: both veterans of war, they each have had difficulty adjusting to their new lives, and recognize something in each other that’s relatable. It’s an inspired touch, because rather than just hit on the same “fish out of water” humor we got in “Thor,” and with Cap in “The Avengers,” we get a connection that’s sincere, and becomes a dramatic backbone for the story to come. We already know what Chris Evans brings to the table as Rogers from his previous outings as the character, but this is Wilson’s coming-out party, and he needed to make an impact. And since Marvel had the smarts to bring in Anthony Mackie, arguably one of my favorite actors working right now, to play the role, Wilson gets the introduction he deserves in a performance that is just great acting period, and when Falcon spreads his wings during the action? It’s a thrilling sight to see; hopefully, we’ll see him fighting with the rest of the Avengers sooner rather than later.
The other big addition to the cast is Alexander Pierce, who is a member of the council that runs S.H.I.E.L.D., and is played by no less than Robert Redford. Stunt casting for the “3 Days of the Condor” and “Lions for Lambs” veteran? Hardly; Pierce is a real character, with motivations and a worldview that fits right into the uneasy world of “Winter Soldier,” and the central theme of trust that permeates through the film. Redford is terrific in the role (especially in his scenes with Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and Rogers), which is a vital piece of the puzzle that leads to the finale that turns the MCU inside out.
The subtitle of the film, of course, is taken from one of the most iconic runs from the Cap’s comic series, wherein Bucky Barnes, a childhood friend of Rogers’s who supposedly died in “The First Avenger,” is resurrected, and brainwashed into a deadly assassin known as The Winter Soldier. In both “First Avenger” and “Winter Soldier,” Barnes is played by Sebastian Stan, who has a very different look, and more ruthless part, to play than the good-hearted friend Barnes when he and Rogers were fighting, side-by-side, in WWII. Stan is terrific at playing both roles, and that’s particularly true when, after his first run-in with Steve, he starts to have flashes of his history with Rogers before fate separated them, and set them on different paths. By the time they’re fighting on a S.H.I.E.L.D. hellicarrier at the end, the programming Barnes was given is being overridden by his memories of the friendship he and Rogers had in an earlier, simpler time. Stan and Evans (who gives his best performance yet as Rogers) play this moment like it matters, and means something, for both characters, who have found themselves unwitting pawns in a larger battle. From here on out, spoilers abound, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Much was made before the film’s release about how “Winter Soldier” was going to fundamentally alter the Marvel universe, and that is very true. At the beginning, S.H.I.E.L.D. (the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division) remains a quiet, but omnipresent intelligence apparatus that deals in covert operations and the sort of “wet works” missions we associate, in the real world, with the CIA and special ops forces. S.H.I.E.L.D. is basically a wet dream of what the CIA wishes it were, with massive bases of operations and weapons that makes our drones seem inadequate by comparison. After the Battle of New York in “The Avengers,” Rogers has become a full-time member of S.H.I.E.L.D., doing some of the most difficult missions the organization has. However, when he’s sent to take back a S.H.I.E.L.D. vessel held hostage in the ocean, only to find that Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow, played once again by Scarlett Johansson, continuing a great streak of performances), a key ally since the Battle of New York, has another agenda he isn’t aware of, his trust in the missions Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, in his finest work yet in the role) sends him on is tested, once again. As he’s about to find out, though, sometimes people we trust the least are the only ones we can trust at all.
That trust, and lack thereof, is the essential building block behind “The Winter Soldier,” and having that be the driving force of everything that happens in the film, is an intriguing notion for a big superhero movie. Yeah, Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy touched on it some, but for some reason, because Marvel’s aesthetic is one of big, bright action sequences and an embrace of genre silliness rather that brooding melancholy, it feels more punctuated, and potent when an old nemesis of Rogers’s rears it’s ugly head in the second half of the film, and upends the world this “man out of time” was just trying to adjust to, leaving him isolated, and uncertain of what the future will bring. Knowing Rogers, though, he won’t bend to the whims of evil, and the last shot of him, Romanoff, Wilson, and others trying to figure out what to do now make me think that by the time they all meet again in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” evil will have it’s work cut out for it. I can’t wait to see where they go from here.
