Next to the Iron Man series, Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier comes in a close second.  The very compelling storyline, creative action, excellent direction and above all good acting combine to put this super hero in the forefront.  Not so sci-fi fantasy, the Captain works to protect and serve. He’s an Ethan Hunt with more courage and abandon.

Steve Rogers has been back to his Washington D.C. routine of working out and running 2 mile laps around the National Mall following his involvement with his fellow Avengers in New York City.  On one energetic day where he has just lapped Sam Wilson several times, he gets a message from S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters that a major member has become the subject of a fatal attack. Diving head first into the fray, Captain America starts on a quest to find the perpetrators with the help of Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow.  When the he finds evidence involving a conspiracy within the controlling government branch over S.H.I.E.L.D. it leads to a diabolical plan to take over the world.

Chris Evans as Captain America and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow

The excitement grows from the beginning car shootout to the turmoil that follows including clashes with Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers best friend from Captain America: The First Avenger). Directors Joe and Anthony Russo keep the momentum increasing as they move Captain America into one predicament after another.  He’s Ethan Hunt (Mission Impossible) on steroids, taking chances in even the most impossible situations.  The Russo’s work cinema magic on sets that allow for a lot of hand to hand combat and outrageous stunt work.  He feeds his audience some scary visions of a captive world under the threat of an egotistical military antagonist and then inserts his heroes to bring it crashing down.

Chris Evans takes his role of Steve Rogers to another level. More dynamic than his previous two outings, he gives urgency to the film while chasing down some very proficient assailants. He shows Captain America’s strengths with an elevated intelligence, agility, quickness, muscle, and stamina in the face of impossible odds.  Much like the other members of S.H.I.E.L.D., he’s determined to come out on top.

Anthony Mackie as Falcon

Two cohorts help the Avenger, Black Widow played by Scarlett Johansson with sharp martial arts abilities, crafty planning, but mostly relentless pursuit of their foes.  She’s more visible in this episode of Captain America than any other Avenger film and delivers a kick-ass character.  Her chemistry with Evans makes the excitement work from combat to even a little romance. His other accomplice is Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson aka Falcon busts some exciting moves as he flies into danger helping Rogers escape and drawing the opposition away in the heat of battle.  In some cases Mackie adds some comic relief to the compelling tale. It’s the first appearance by Falcon in an Avenger movie and a welcome one at that.

Special stunt work gets ‘ridiculous’

Captain American: The Winter Soldier has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, gunplay and action throughout.  The story is one of the better scripts involving an Avenger played out on the screen. The film may get a little too forceful for the very young, so keep this in mind when choosing to bring immature children to the movie.

FINAL ANALYSIS:  More of a compelling film than a sci-fi fantasy and that’s a good thing. (A)

Additional Film Information:
Cast: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp and Hayley Atwell, with Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
Directed by: Joe and Anthony Russo
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, gunplay and action throughout
Running Time: 2 hrs 16 min
Release Date: April 4, 2014
Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios