31 May Nerdy for Thirty #1: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

dir. The Russos, starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, and Robert Redford

BLUF: Winter Soldier regularly makes my MCU top 5 and represents the MCU firing on all cylinders. It is both self-contained excellence, while seamlessly setting up major MCU plot lines. In basically all respects, it is a masterpiece of action spy thrillers, let alone comic book movies.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a fascinating beast, and as such, can be viewed and interpreted in multiple, unique ways that no other franchise can really provide meaningful contrast. One of my favorite ways is to break it down by internal franchises within the overall MCU, and as you objectively examine each individual series, the Captain America trilogy is arguably the best; the Avengers movies provide some meaningful comparison but are hardly self-contained. And The Winter Soldier is the best of the best trilogy in the MCU.

MCU Phase 2 is where the Marvel machine really hit its stride. TWS did two things that elevated it to such great heights:

First, they hired the Russo Brothers to direct. With a background in comedy, but a very robust repertoire of strong writing, transitioning to Marvel seemed a perfect fit for them. Not every director at the time made this transition, but the Russos seemed to thrive in taking Marvel’s long-term plans and adapting to it. TWS contains terrific writing, great characters (with strong developmental arcs), and some of the best action direction in comic book movies.

Second, TWS is a genre film. Instead of a formulaic CBM (a trend Marvel has fallen deep into by now), TWS is, first and foremost, a terrific spy thriller, that just happens to feature comic book characters from Marvel. One of the only other MCU series to do this consistently is probably Ant-Man, which is a light-hearted comedy action series. But the MCU established Steve Rogers, with his skillset, as a great spy in a world of superheroes.

There are some unusually strong elements in this movie. Among the best:

• Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanov/Black Widow has probably her strongest performance in the role, which happens to feel effortless, while complimenting and supporting Chris Evan’s Steve Rogers
• Robert Redford as villain Alexander Pierce is such a great choice, and throws the film’s story for a loop, as his real-life reputation as a good guy camouflages his character’s perception perfectly
• The second villain, The Winter Soldier himself, is a great foil to Redford: one is the brains, the other the unrelenting, mindless brawn. His identity reveal as Rogers’ best friend adds a complex layer of drama to the entire film
• Captain America’s fighting style and action scenes are a massive step up from previous films, and, unlike The First Avenger, shows why he is both deadly and a unique operational asset in the modern era
• Reintroducing HYDRA having taken over SHIELD set the stage for a LOT of MCU twists and turns in future movies, but never takes the story too far afield from the story being told in this film
• Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson is an instantly likeable character, whose back story is important connective tissue to the real-world issue of veterans and their sacrifices
• The score to TWS is one of the better, less generic musical additions to the MCU, exuding both dramatic menace and action-oriented excitement, especially when The Winter Soldier’s identity is revealed to Captain America
• Captain America’s suit is my favorite—its subtle and dope.
• The elevator fight is, not to further wear out the term, genuinely iconic, and so, so well-staged.

Ranking MCU films is a fun pastime at this point, and in my opinion, The Winter Soldier always ranks highly for the above reasons. So much of the story and action direction feels authentic, with real stakes in-universe, as well as real world analogs that make the entire affair thrilling, never promising a positive outcome, and, indeed, ending on a bittersweet note, as Steve and Bucky part on a stalemate after their intense conflicts throughout.

If I had to identify one weakness, it is the faux death of Nick Fury, and this is not a problem with TWS necessarily, but became a systemic problem in the MCU for a time. Too many characters were killed, only to come back later for less-then-impressive dramatic reasons. Despite most of these MCU faux pas in other movies and TV shows, at least Fury’s temporary demise in this film is intrinsic to the story, and, honestly, this trope in actual comic books is hardly unusual. But TWS happened to coincide with early seasons of the TV show ‘Agents of SHIELD’, which brought back Agent Coulson. This move diminished his sacrifice in The Avengers and made everyone suspicious of Marvel’s intentions whenever a major character was killed going forward, and TWS suffered from this trope.

In my opinion, it stands with Nolan’s Dark Knight as the best superhero trilogy in film, and The Winter Soldier is the best of the trilogy. Repeat viewings are better and better, and in retrospect, it’s almost a shame that Marvel has largely failed to focus on adopting some of the genre-specific traits that made this film so great.

Pros:

• Best Captain America film in easily one of the best superhero trilogies ever
• As a standalone spy thriller, it is excellent, even outside the comic book setting
• Great villains in Pierce (The Brains) and The Winter Soldier (The Brawn)
• Self-contained story that still sets up strong future storylines—better than most cinematic universes even attempt, much less achieve
• Johansson’s Black Widow is fantastic: fun, smart, empathetic, and a perfect complement to Roger’s Cap
• Hilariously classic MCU disguises at the mall/Apple Store

Cons:

• Uhh…Nick Fury’s fake death, I guess?
• Hilariously classic MCU disguises at the mall/Apple Store

Rating: 4.9/5
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is basically perfect, and I have no real notes. Just watch it, enjoy it, and wonder why Marvel has not been able to recreate some of the genre magic they captured here.

Review by Jim Washburn