Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Cast
Chris Evans
Samuel L. Jackson
Scarlett Johansson
Anthony Mackie
Robert Redford
Sebastian Stan
Frank Grillo
Screenwriters
Christopher Markus
Stephen McFeely
Directors
Anthony Russo
Joe Russo
Running Time
136 minutes

After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, lives quietly in Washington, D.C. trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy.[Metacritic]

When the film is a spy thriller it’s surprisingly great but then it drifts back to a CGI heavy adventure movie which is less so. I watched it in 2D which is the right choice because a lot happens at night and the fight scenes consist of fast cuts, both of which would be difficult to follow in 3D. I said in an Iron Man review that it would be great to see Scarlett Johansson actually fighting but this indicates it’s never going to happen, you don’t see her face during all the hand to hand fighting which must only be because it’s a stunt woman. A problem I think is that Steve Rogers doesn’t come across as charismatic enough and so some of the dialogue scenes with him drag. Chris Evans’ performance seems to work best in a comedic setting like the scene in the last Thor movie. If it had been a Black Widow or Nick Fury film I think it would have been stronger.