CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
2014 was perhaps the most successful year for Marvel Studios yet (though 2015 already seems on course to top it), and it's cinematic dominance started early with CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER getting a jump on the summer movie season with its March release and blowing away all blockbuster competition until... well, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY in August. THE WINTER SOLDIER very quickly established itself as one of Marvel's very best offerings, far surpassing the enjoyable first film in just about every way.
I've said before that screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are the secret heroes of the CAPTAIN AMERICA franchise. The big strength of the first film was in their characterisation of Steve Rogers, and that carries over here, thanks also to Chris Evans' quiet but commanding screen presence. But the big challenge presented to them this time round was how to make a sequel that was at once a continuation of the story and a reinvention of the character's world. The first film was, after all, a period piece, a sepia-toned pastiche of old-timey World War 2 adventure. But the ending of the previous film leaving Captain America in the present day requires the jettisoning of almost the entirety of the first film's supporting cast to be replaced with a new ensemble, never mind a new setting and aesthetic and a lean into a whole different sub-genre. Markus and McFeely responded by drawing inspiration from the comics: not just the acclaimed CAPTAIN AMERICA comics storyline by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting whose name this film takes as its title, but also to a large degree Jonathan Hickman's SECRET WARRIORS. Beyond comics, there are aesthetic nods to paranoid conspiracy thrillers like DAY OF THE CONDOR, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE and THE PARALLAX VIEW.
But while THE WINTER SOLDIER enjoys some additional flavor from the conspiracy thriller flourishes of the narrative, and the little moments of rich characterisation in the early going - such as Steve's visit to the veterans' support group or his bedside vigil with an elderly, ailing Peggy Carter - where this film truly excels is as a masterfully-constructed action movie, and on that front credit must go to directors Joe & Anthony Russo.
Having repeatedly watched (and repeatedly reviewed) THE WINTER SOLDIER, I am somewhat wary of repeating myself, so feel inclined to narrow my focus onto what elements of the film most stand out for me. And more and more with each of my multiple viewings, what impresses the most is just how excellently crafted each action set-piece in this film is.
The opening assault on the Limerian Star battleship often gets the lion's share of the plaudits, and it's a finely crafted opener. As both Captain America and Black Widow cut their way through the mercenaries to reach the hostages contained within, we get efficient (re)introductions to their characters by means of their different fighting styles. In particular, I love how the Russos have the confidence to keep the camera on Captain America for longer stetches upon him first landing on the ship, with the long tracking shot as he runs down the deck, swiping henchmen as he goes, a particular favourite.
The next big action sequence is the attempted assassination/car chase with Nick Fury. In general, this is Nick Fury's best role in an MCU film, feeling like an actual character rather than an agent of exposition and other characters' progression. And a big part of that is down to how compelling he is placed in peril here. One of the things I love about the scene is how quickly it escalates. First, out of nowhere Fury's car is being hit by a police car and he's fracturing a wrist, then there's another two police cars surrounding him, then he's finding out there are no police reported in the area just as the guns start firing into his windows. Then no sooner have we established that his car has a bulletproof shield protecting him than a bigger weapon is brought into play to smash through it. It's breathless, and all the more gratifying when Fury gets to be a badass and turn it around on the bad guys. Then we have a car chase that's all the more gripping for being agonisingly slow, Fury trying to navigate through gridlocked traffic while evading his killers.
But perhaps my favourite action scene in the film is the elevator scene. The build-up is absolutely spot on, as what seems like a quiet transitional scene of Captain America traveling in an escalator and making small talk with some supporting characters starts to turn into something else. If the scene wasn't spoiled for you in the trailers, you probably clock on that things aren't what they seem just after Captain America himself does... as with each floor the elevator stops on, more people crowd onto the elevator, some clutching their guns, others sweating profusely. The Russos could have played the ambush as a surprise, but instead they let the intensity grow and grow to fever pitch, so when the bad guys finally do attack Captain America, it's like an explosion of pent-up energy.
The two Captain America VS The Winter Soldier fights are also fantastic. The first one is another example in the power of holding a take, as the pair's parries and jockeying for control of the knife builds and builds like two master tennis players hitting a volley back and forth on the court, and the more it goes on the more you're waiting for one to slip and one to take control. Then in the climactic showdown, the intensity of the action is perhaps dialed down a notch, but is replaced by emotional stakes. Funnily enough, as an antagonist the Winter Soldier gets less screen-time than the Red Skull got in the first film, and yet we're much more emotionally invested in the final fight than we were in the first film. It's also notable for just how much of a beating Steve Rogers takes.
One of the above sequences would be enough to distinguish a film as a memorable action movie, and yet THE WINTER SOLDIER has all of them. It's a relentless machine of a film, and ranks up with the best the action genre has produced in recent years, even outside of the superhero realm. THE RAID 2 came out in the UK a few short weeks later and was probably better, but THE WINTER SOLDIER was at least in the same ball-park, which is an impressive feat in itself. Considering that lackluster direction was one of the failings of the first film, The Russo Brothers deserve a lot of credit for elevating the CAPTAIN AMERICA franchise. It's no wonder they've been invited to take over for Joss Whedon to direct AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR.
In a lot of ways, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER raised the bar for Marvel Studios. While THE AVENGERS and its gargantuan success had cemented the fact that Marvel Studios were the best in the game at what they do and that their particular brand of entertainment was exactly what people wanted, here they demonstrated that they could push outwith those expectations and deliver a film that tonally feels quite different from what had come from the studio up until that point. And yet, still the film is utterly immersed in the Marvel Universe, riffing on events and characters from previous films in unexpected ways, and indeed dramatically upending the status quo of the shared universe in what should be some fascinating ways going forward.
9/10
