|
|
| Thursday, April 17, 2014 03:36 PM |
| On the Viewer - Captain America: The Winter Soldier |
 by Fëanor |
Stories about Captain America almost necessarily end up being about America itself - the America of whatever time the story is written in. Whatever problems that America is dealing with; how America is seeing itself in that moment; the conflict between what it is and what it wants to be - all of that becomes fodder for the story. Winter Soldier is definitely no exception to this. This is a film that's being released in a time when America is still reeling from the NSA surveillance scandal, still trying to reconcile itself to the fact that the leader of the land of the free and the home of the brave has a kill list, and that we have mechanized murder-bots scanning foreign lands, executing people - some of them possibly innocent. And in this film, Captain America (Chris Evans) finds himself lost, disillusioned, without a clear purpose. He's a soldier, a man used to following orders, but when he goes out on a mission with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and finds he hasn't been told its full parameters, he feels betrayed. Then his friend Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) reveals that he and Fury's old comrade - now his boss on the World Security Council - Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) are about to launch into the air a fleet of gigantic mechanized warships that will patrol the skies, taking out threats before they can take us out. The ultimate preemptive strike weapons. But Cap isn't a man who believes in preemptive strikes. This is a guy who goes into battle, not with a knife or a gun, but with a shield. Cap is a protector, a defender, not an attacker. How can he live in a world like this? Work with men like this? Follow their orders?
Things quickly get worse when Fury and then Cap himself come under attack by an unknown enemy who knows them far too well. If Cap didn't know who to trust before, he certainly doesn't now. Not only is S.H.I.E.L.D. not what it appears to be, the legendary, unstoppable assassin coming after Cap - known only as the Winter Soldier - is not who Cap expects, either. He has to put his trust in the deadly and secretive Black Widow, and his new friend and fellow soldier Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) - not to mention Wilson's top secret flying gear - if he has any hope of surviving.
The Winter Soldier is a very wise, thoughtful film that also happens to be loaded with exciting, bad-ass action sequences and incredible visual effects. Marvel fans will be happy to see cleverly modernized interpretations of Arnim Zola and Georges Batroc, not to mention the introduction of Agent 13, and the return of Garry Shandling's smarmy Senator Stern and Cobie Smulders' quietly competent Maria Hill. Oh, and there's also Falcon. Falcon! It's so great to see Cap and Falcon together on the big screen. As usual, there's also a fun after-credits sequence featuring a couple of other famous Marvel characters that ties this story in to future developments in the Marvel Studios film universe.
Marvel Studios has yet to make a misstep, and in fact seems to be getting better with each film. The Winter Soldier is the best yet. It's truly a brilliant entry in their continuing saga, and a story that will have lasting consequences for the universe as a whole. It cleverly and powerfully parallels the story of a poisoned S.H.I.E.L.D. that doesn't know itself with the story of the poisoned Winter Soldier who doesn't know himself. I particularly like that Captain ultimately wins the day, not with a bullet or a punch, but by choosing not to fight. He succeeds by dropping his weapon, by embracing the possibility of healing and redemption and peace. It's a beautiful, brave moment. An American moment. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
