Marvel Comics has managed to tell many types of stories with their many films: “Thor” is epic fantasy, “Iron Man” is action comedy, “The Avengers” is an alien invasion disaster flick and the first “Captain America” was a war movie.
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” dives into new territory: classic spy thriller.
Picking up from the first film, soldier out of time Steve Rogers (a charismatic Chris Evans) is trying to learn more about the modern world, butting heads with S.H.I.E.L.D. head Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, cool as ever, with an amped-up role this time) over the proper way to police the world.
The gears of political machinations are constantly turning here, with Robert Redford hamming it up wonderfully as Alexander Pierce, the chief of the World Security Council, and S.H.I.E.L.D. being compromised by a group we’ll leave unspoiled.
Working for this secret organization is The Winter Soldier, a seemingly unstoppable force with long flowing hair, a metallic arm and a unending supply of knives.
Which brings us to the action scenes, which are intense, especially from Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, who shows that she deserves her own film.
Also of note is Anthony Mackie, bringing great comedic moments with his high-flying character Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon.
Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
Starring Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie
Rated PG-13
