Steve “Captain America” Rogers (Chris Evans), is back in suit protecting life, liberty and freedom. He has been heralding the good fight for quite some time and has grown reflective of the past. Even after so many battles won, he is plagued by loss on the field and the life he wasn’t meant to live.
On what should have been a standard SHIELD mission, Captain America and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), survive a close call the ‘Cap’ believes could have been avoided. When he takes his concerns to Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the onslaught of enemy action proves fatal. Now, there is no one to trust. It seems everyone has an ulterior motive.
Chris Evans returns as the titular Marvel character, beefed-up and revved to go. When circumstance demands a new take on an old problem, Steve Rogers enlists the aeronautic genius of Sam Wilson, The Falcon (Anthony Mackie). Audiences can rest assured that they will get the full gamut of action, adventure and science fiction.
There are familiar faces and new ones alike in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Robert Redford is Agent Alexander Pierce, the political face of SHIELD and friend to Director Nick Fury. Samuel L. Jackson returns as Fury, bringing with him ominous strength and righteous cool and carrying it to the agents of SHIELD.
Audiences who crave fantastic sequences will not be disappointed. The CGI is spectacular. Sam Wilson wears a special military suit which enables flight. He becomes The Falcon. He takes-off and lands with grace and fluidity that seamlessly interplays with all else falling down around him.
The physical action is equally matched. An actual ship, The Sea Launch Commander, was used as the set of the Lemurian Star—the film’s opening sequence. Fight choreography had to be specific to the dimensions of available surface space. Kicks, jumps, cartwheels and roundhouses are delivered with due diligence when agents set out upon a mission. The impact of the precision in the movement of the heroes is dynamic.
The titular Winter Soldier is the arch-foil to America’s home-born hero. This wreaker of havoc and ender of lives has cast a shadow of mistrust over the entire SHIELD agency. As such, the Winter Soldier brings with him much violence and pain.
Producer Kevin Feige has confessed to being a die-hard fan of the Winter Soldier since childhood. His earliest aspirations included one day making a movie tribute to his favorite Marvel character. Written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the partners were ready to incorporate the Winter Soldier into the storyline from the original concepts considered for the trilogy during the writing of the first film.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is directed by brothers, Anthony and Joe Russo, who see the film as two movies: a thriller and an action movie. Audiences will agree that there is much breath-catching suspense to behold. From scenes that seem to move a mile a minute to fighter planes and armored vehicles that defy logic and gravity.
Six weeks was spent shooting in Cleveland, Ohio. The city is considered an excellent double for Washington, D.C., given the size and other general similarities of the structural architecture of both cities. Additionally, it is the hometown of the Directors Russo.
Longtime superhero fans will truly enjoy Stan Lee’s reliable, though always unpredictable, cameo appearance. As the days get longer and temperatures get warmer, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a great way to get a jumpstart on imminent summer fun.