Stunning film.

Rating: 9/10 (25 April 2015)

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is a brilliant, well-written film that ticks all the boxes. A great script, wonderfully choreographed fight scenes, amazing actors, stunning cinematography, and an interesting, unique plot make this film (in my opinion) one of Marvel's best.
The pros:
The plot weaves the elements of The Winter Soldier - Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Nick Fury's (Samuel L. Jackson) secrets, Project Insight and the infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. by Hydra really well. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is much more badass in this movie than he is in either "Captain America: The First Avenger" or "The Avengers", and Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), is given much more development. The Falcon, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), is also introduced, and he is an instantly likable character. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have delivered an amazing script that is smart and engaging.
Chris Evans absolutely nails the character of Steve Rogers, portraying his conflict, his purposelessness and his determination beautifully. Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier creates a figure that is menacing and terrifying, yet tortured and pitiful, and all this with barely twenty words. Scarlett Johansson gets Natasha's snark and humour just right, Anthony Mackie makes the Falcon likable, and Frank Grillo portrays Brock Rumlow's brutish thuggishness really well.
The cons:
The only fault I have with this film is that the final confrontation between Steve and Bucky is a little over-dramatic and predictable in terms of dialogue, especially after a flashback to the 1940s. There are some parts that are a little unbelievable, like Steve managing to fight Bucky after being shot three times, or jumping out of an elevator with hardly a scratch. But these flaws are dwarfed by the movie's brilliant script and actors.
Overall "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is a great sequel (much better than the first movie) and a valuable addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.