Monday, May 19, 2014

May 19: Captain American: The Winter Soldier (2014 -- Anthony Russo & Joe Russo)

★★★

There's something I like about Captain America.  He doesn’t have Batman’s darkness, nor is there Spiderman’s angst. He's loyal to friends despite being surrounded by those that say not to trust others, and he tries to do the right thing.  He’s classically handsome and strong, but he isn't invulnerable.  He has a sense of humor.  And as his repartee with Black Widow shows, he's even emotionally vulnerable. Captain America is as close to a human being as a superhero can be today.

And Captain American: The Winter Soldier is a competent, enjoyable film.  Like Robocop, Winter Soldier is an action movie with a message.   In this day of drone spying and NSA eavesdropping, the film warns us not give up freedom for security.  “This isn't freedom,” says Captain America.  “This is fear.”  And he then sets off to fight the security apparatus that would pacify the world.  It’s an engaging fight, full of humanity and special effects.  More characters are multidimensional here than we typically see in Marvel universe films, and the special effects have a natural quality to them, like the way Falcon zips and the helicarriers lumber. 

And Winter Soldier moves at a steady pace, interweaving a political story line with an investigative while adding action to each.   The Russos’ approach to the fight scenes, too, keeps the film accessible.  Fights are short, choppy pieces of action of varying speeds which are knitted together to give a sense of the larger conflict.  They recall Paul Greengrass’ work in the last couple of Bourne trilogy films.

Captain American: The Winter Soldier is a fun debut to the summer’s popcorn movies.  The hero is refreshing; the action, compelling; and rather than the self-conscious, parodying tone that can inform other films of this genre, the feeling here is as sincere and committed as the hero.  It makes for a good, summer experience.

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