MarvelBlog Retro Review: ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’

Everyone has a favorite Marvel movie. I previously ranked mine a while ago on a different site, but my position evolved over time.

Counting only standalone Avengers movies, one towers over the rest, even my beloved Iron Man.

In today’s retro review, I will discuss the perfect Marvel standalone hero saga, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

A Quick Start

Joe and Anthony Russo, collectively known as the Russo Brothers, had already carved out a small niche in Hollywood 15 years ago.

The duo directed Welcome to Collinwood, a fairly well-received title. They also helmed (but didn’t write) You, Me and Dupree, one of the most reviled films of the 21^st century.

The brothers switched to television and built a buzz with some Community episodes, especially the D&D and paintball episodes, both of which Joe directed.

After catching the attention of Marvel, the Russos earned a primo gig, the Captain America sequel. And they weren’t about to miss their shot this time.

Within 60 seconds, I had fallen head over heels in love with The Winter Soldier. That passion remains to this day.

I’m referencing the marvelous “On your left!” scene that takes place at the National Mall, a place where a dear friend sometimes jogs.

Perhaps this aspect connects me to the story more, but it’s perfect Marvel storytelling. It shows how a “normal” person would react to Steve Rogers.

Then again, the other individual in the scene, Sam Wilson, has already earned his stripes as a war hero and proves a worthy Avenger as well.

We don’t know this at first blush, though. Wilson’s merely a dude on a morning jog who gets lapped repeatedly.

The two soldiers bond over too-soft beds and seem likely to team up until duty calls. Natasha Romanoff appears and busts on Rogers a bit.

This segment deftly disseminates all the pieces of the puzzle. Rogers is lonely and misses the camaraderie of soldier life.

Wilson struggles to fit in now that he’s lost his (literal) wingman and is happy to bond quickly with someone.

The Hidden Agendas

Captain America works with S.H.I.E.L.D. now at the behest of its leader, Nick Fury.

The Russos mine this aspect repeatedly, as agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. lie about themselves for a living. Nobody’s who they seem.

The hostage they’re rescuing during the first action scene later proves instrumental to many HYDRA plots to subvert S.H.I.E.L.D. So it’d be better if they left him to die.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. base is hiding a S.H.I.E.L.D….I dunno? Fort? City? Sovereign Nation? It’s a big place.

Even that cute nurse who lives down the hall isn’t who she says. But, of course, neither is Robert Redford’s character, although we all saw that one coming, right?

Still, my favorite surprise involves the ill-fated character of Crossbones. We meet Brock Rumlow on a Helicarrier.

Even though Rumlow works at counter-purposes to S.H.I.E.L.D., he doesn’t care during his field op with Rogers.

When Captain America skips the parachute and simply jumps out of an aircraft, Rumlow’s admiration shines through the dialogue.

Even the HYDRA agents cannot help but adore Steve Rogers, the ultimate soldier.

Then, there’s the central conflict in the film. Bucky Barnes didn’t die tragically in World War II, after all. Instead, he faced a fate worse than death.

Arnim Zola retrieved Barnes and performed a series of medical experiments. Ultimately, Zola brainwashed Barnes into killing for others.

So, the Winter Soldier’s agent isn’t hidden. The damage stands in plain sight. However, Steve Rogers cannot accept that his loyal friend could commit such atrocities.

Like many of the best stories, The Winter Soldier isn’t about S.H.I.E.L.D. defeating HYDRA or similar generic good/bad tropes. Well, it’s not just that.

Instead, the main goal here involves the saving of one soul.

Don’t get me wrong, though. Plenty of stuff explodes along the way.

Best of Enemies

As the lone survivor of the Super Hero Soldier (that we know about at the time), Rogers has no peers in combat.

A French pirate named Batroc challenges this notion, but Cap fights with one arm (well, shield) behind his back.

Overall, nobody would debate who the alpha of hand-to-hand combat is in the MCU, at least not at this point.

Just to check all the boxes, the Russos toss in an action scene that’s arguably the best of the 21^st century.

After Rogers discusses espionage issues with Alexander Pierce (Redford), he hops on an elevator.

No, this isn’t that lazy filmmaking trope symbolizing that he’s in a downward spiral. Instead, it’s a fistfight in the most claustrophobic quarters imaginable.

Ten paramilitary officers join Rogers on the elevator, and one of them is the formidable Rumlow. They exchange sincere words. Then, they fight. It’s mesmerizing.

Whenever I think about 21^st-century action scenes, this one springs to the top of my mind.

Notably, several other MCU titles merit consideration, but this is THE ONE for me.

Even the moments during and afterward sell the story more. Rumlow swears, “it’s not personal.”

Then, Rogers cuts the elevator and jumps out from hundreds of feet in the air.

This moment may seem implausible without the previous Helicarrier jump…with Rumlow.  It’s a really good script, folks.

Anyway, we finally do meet someone who can hold his own in combat with Rogers. It’s a mysterious sharpshooter who puts a bullet in Fury.

Later, during an interstate rumble, we learn that the worthy foe is…Bucky Barnes who is also the Winter Soldier.

The Shakespearean symmetry here works well. Steve Rogers’ former best friend is now his worst enemy.

Mini-Avengers

After Marvel’s The Avengers, the MCU needed to reframe its overall story arc.

Simply stated, the story needed new Avengers. We get two in this movie.

Whether it was the initial plan or not, they eventually teamed up for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier as unlikely allies.

The premise here is that Rogers needs Romanoff and trusts her despite her S.H.I.E.L.D. ties.

Then, they need a friend when they’re on the run. That chance encounter with Sam Wilson leads to a reunion.

The soldiers felt a connection and mine during the second half of the story. Meanwhile, Rogers refuses to give up on his friend.

These choices lead to a series of standoffs that fall somewhere between small wins for Bucky Barnes and, well, collateral damage for all buildings in the area.

That Helicarrier crash seems like a terrible use of taxpayer money.

Anyway, the film turns into a Mini-Avengers story with a core group of three facing a single terrifying villain.

So, it’s somewhat like when Black Widow, Iron Man, and Captain America ganged up on Loki…well, before we learned what a perennial loser Loki was.

Nick Fury also appears a few times, dying and undying enough that it borders on annoying.

That’s my sole complaint in the movie, which is high praise from me. I’m hypercritical about cinematic sins.

Otherwise, the build to Bucky vs. Cappy pays tremendous dividends when they finally have that score-settling climactic battle. It’s intense.

Best of all, the various Avengers (and Maria Hill and Fury) display their finest comic book traits to avert total disaster, which is apparently a world ruled by Robert Redford.

I guess Watchmen was right after all?

Final Thoughts

Doing a retro review of Captain America: The Winter Soldier feels like something of a cheat.

I’ve watched the movie more than 20 times and rarely go more than six months between rewatches.

I’m that obsessive because the writer in me marks out whenever I watch the story. A comic book movie shouldn’t tie together so cohesively. It’s abnormal.

The Russos are indescribably proud of the film, too. They make no attempt to hide it, either.

Think about the final moments of the most successful movie of all time (or second behind Avatar, depending on the day).

Captain Rogers takes a savage beating from Thanos and is the last person standing among the core Avengers.

When salvation arrives, it comes in the words, “On your left.”

Storytellers always know their best beats. The one at the start of Winter Soldier is perfect.

I firmly believe that Captain America: The Winter Soldier joins others like Children of Men, Gravity, and The Martian on the shortlist of best films of the 21^st century.

Movies don’t get any more A+ than this.

Thanks for visiting MarvelBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Platinum level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!