Captain anti-America? Conspiracy thriller overdoes it on the politics but balances out with decent action and pace

Rating: 7/10 (26 March 2014)

Captain America is perhaps the hardest character to do in 'the modern age' due to the post 60s fashion for 'hip-anti patriotism' in the Anglo- Saxon world. An integral part of 'The Avengers' he got his own rather underwhelming 2011 standalone that served as part of the run up to that all-star tag team. But what story could you give him between Loki and Ultron?
Unsurprisingly Marvel has opted for 'hip anti-patriotism', a sort of inversion of the flag waving he represents, which would be quite interesting and refreshing in itself if only every other popcorn movie around for the last decade hadn't taken the exact same line! In fact any movie with even the tiniest little recognition that there are threats of any kind that have to be faced somehow would be a surprising change. Instead here, couched in the continuing Marvel plot arc, we have movie that tells us again that 'we are the only problem!', that those who try to stop world threats are in fact Nazis (literally here!) and only bending every sword into a ploughshare and sitting down to buy the world a Coke will lead to everyone singing in harmony. While admirable, it is precisely this sort of naive, insular 'splendid isolationism' that led directly to both world wars and is seemingly leading us towards the third one right now! If anything all of these movies will become historical documents of our time, like those 'Atomic science will cure everything' pictures of the 1950s.
But enough of the socio-political analysis, how good is 'Winter Soldier' as a night's entertainment? Well it openly boasts of being more thriller than a superhero movie, and in that it works well. Captain America gets to do his thing a lot, and his shield finally becomes his signature weapon. There are spectacular car chases, especially early on featuring Nick Fury in a tricked out Tahoe vs a fleet of fake cop cars. Close quarter fist fights of every kind abound, even if they are shot with 'wobbly cam'. Three drone Heli-Carriers that are integral to the plot are well realised if destroyed a little too easily, and those 'Quinn- Jets' also turn up strafing our heroes everywhere they turn. Evans continues his maturity as Rogers/America, a doubting hero in the wrong time (he says so every other line in fact!) aided by Black Widow, who is more at home as a spy than as a 'super heroine' slaying Chitauri left and right. Johansson, who has been opting for every odd role going lately, looks oddly uncomfortable in the black leather this time, but that may just be the character arc. Samuel L. Jackson finally bends Fury around into his Tarantino mode that goes full 'gangsta' by the end. Robert Redford is in it is an acknowledged nod to the 70s conspiracy thrillers he once headlined and that 'WS' models itself on, playing the villain in far too relaxed a manner to be genuinely menacing. Marvel fans will already know exactly who 'The Winter Soldier' is and who he was before he became it, and he proves an interesting enemy here, yet with a lack of other 'heavies' he is left to carry the villainy alone and it is a tough load even for someone with a metal arm. Anthony Mackie finally brings 'Falcon' to the screen, even if he ends up looking more like turbo 'Condorman' and is not even that big a presence anyway despite Mackie's winning performance.
The film continues the post-Avengers trend of 'scorched earth', seemingly destroying everything that came before it, presumably to then rebuild again in 'Age of Ultron' (if anyone cares anymore by that stage?) A couple of rather confusing post-credit scenes (one after end title design and at the very end as usual) hint at what is to come in future attractions.
Not a conventional 'superhero' film, it is a modest entry that is slightly above 'Iron Man 3" (it actually features some Captain America!) and "Thor Dark World" (it has an actual story and some energy behind it) if one lowers their bar suitably. The films heavy handed politics will certainly alienate many but they are not exactly hidden so you take it as you find it.