Captain America: The Winter Soldier Movie Review

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Cap has seen better days. When he was fighting in World War II, it became clear who the bad guys were. Things were simple back in the 1940s. Sure, the war changed things, but at least Cap knew where to draw the line.

These days, Cap isn’t so sure. SHIELD, the company he works for, has been dabbling in some unethical methods. For instance, when Nick Fury withholds information from Cap about Natasha’s (aka Black Widow) different assignment, he shows concern.

But the whole unethical chaos doesn’t stop there. After Fury is nearly killed, Cap begins to peel back the layers of what SHIELD is. He uncovers a plot that could take out millions of people. Cap, along with some friends, decides to fight back because the whole world depends on it.

Positive Elements: Take note: Cap isn’t a perfect hero. Try to name a Marvel superhero who is. However, despite the corrupt machine that SHIELD is (metaphorically speaking), Cap does his best to challenge the status quo. An example: when Fury tells Cap SHIELD made an advancement to snuff out criminals, Cap rightly says “I thought the punishment came after the crime.” He refuses to lie (except in one case) and prefers the truth even when it’s not easy. Cap sticks to his moral compass repeatedly and this trait rubs off on others too. He borrows a car instead of stealing it.

Natasha finds comfort in Cap, though it takes a while. Part of her job is lying, since she’s a spy and that’s not good. However, she helps him in the mission by refusing to leave his side. When resting in a house for example, Nat confides to Cap “I thought I knew whose lies I was telling. But I can’t tell the difference anymore.” He assures her that he’s “always honest.”

Sam Wilson/Falcon is a new friend of Cap’s. He willingly risks his safety to help Cap and Nat out. Cap refuses to kill the Winter Soldier and quotes the phrase “I’m with you til’ the end of the line.” Once finding out the truth, several SHIELD members do their best to stop a global genocide.

Sensual Content: Nat and Cap have some sexual tension throughout the film. She shows a scar on her belly from when the Winter Soldier shot her. “Bye-bye, bikinis,” Nat teases. “Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now,” Steve retorts. In the opening scene, they flirt repeatedly, and share two kisses (one on the lips, and one on the cheek). Nat and other women wear tight, revealing outfits.

After Steve and Nat kiss in the mall, she asks “Still uncomfortable?” “Not exactly the word I would use,” he replies. They then exchange banter on how Steve’s kissing skills are with him saying “I’m 95, not dead.” Some talk about someone wanting to sleep with a reporter.

Violence: Compared to The First Avenger, The Winter Soldier raises the action up about three clicks. Cap engages in fights with multiple bad guys complete with punches and kicks. Nat has her fair share of fights too and injures one guy’s hand with a knife.

One of the most intense scenes is Nick Fury’s attempted assassination. Police cars ram his vehicle and shoot several times causing it to look like a block of Swiss cheese. Nick uses his car’s gun to shoot back and blows up a vehicle. Some police cars are heavily damaged, and a truck knocks the two cars across an intersection.

A lot of people (innocent and malicious combined) are shot to death. It’s revealed that SHIELD is planning a global genocide, a mission that is thwarted by Cap and his team. Huge ships shoot at people and (in one case) each other. Ships crash, causing explosions and fires. A bomb knocks Fury’s car upside down.

(Spoiler Warning): The Winter Soldier is none other than Bucky Barnes, Cap’s old friend from World War II. Nat admits he’s credited with over 24 assassinations in the last 50 years. A fight scene takes place on the highway; guns are brandished, and bullets fly fast. A SHIELD agent is thrown out a car window and it’s insinuated he dies after a truck crushes him. Cap is blown backwards into a bus, knocking him out for a moment. He fights The Winter Soldier while protecting Nat, who shoots the latter later. A steering wheel is yanked from a car.

Cap and Nat head to an old Germany base to figure out pieces of a mystery. This is interrupted when SHIELD fires a missile, destroying the entire building. Both Cap and Nat survive, digging themselves out of the rubble. Nat is shot and wears gauze around her shoulder.

Cap is trapped in an elevator with multiple men who intend to bring him in. They are eventually knocked unconscious, lying in a massive pile. One agent tases Cap three times during the showdown. Cap destroys a huge hovercraft when he tries to escape the SHIELD headquarters. A man slaps Bucky when he doesn’t respond.

Language: Two or three s-words, along with a small smattering of h—, b—ch, a—, d—n, God’s name, p—ed, and Jesus’ name.

Drugs/Alcohol: Members are given glasses of champagne, but don’t imbibe it.

Other Negative Elements: Cap lies once (he’s unsuccessful). As mentioned, Nat lies constantly, as well as other SHIELD agents. An agent mentions that SHIELD is interfering with people’s privacy.

(Spoiler Warning): Alexander Pierce is behind the whole genocide mission to begin with. Fury gets suspicious when his accounts are locked unexpectedly. Pierce manipulates The Winter Soldier into doing his job, calling the mission “the freedom [HYDRA] deserves.” When Bucky starts to regain his memories, Pierce orders his guards to wipe Bucky’s mind and start over. A mouth guard is put into Bucky’s teeth as the procedure starts (we hear him scream).

Conclusion: The Winter Soldier is one of the best sequels in the MCU. With plenty of references to the comics, top notch acting, and an action-packed storyline, it keeps you on your toes.

But whereas The First Avenger dialed back a bit on the violence aspect, The Winter Soldier ratchets it up. Granted, our heroes make it out okay, but several characters don’t. What’s most jarring though is Bucky being turned into a killing machine. Though he comes around in the end, his death stare and fight tactics are still brutal. Add in a fair bit of foul language, brief sexual tension, and deceptions abound that are sure to have viewers pressing pause.

That said, The Winter Soldier delivers several heavy themes unlike any MCU movie I’ve ever seen. In these hard times, it’s hard to figure out where to draw the line in multiple areas. For example, take the aspect of free will. SHIELD thinks it’s doing the world a favor by bringing some questionable methods into existence. But we (and Cap) see how methods used for the right reasons can be misused/ twisted for nefarious purposes.

It’s easy to turn a blind eye to the world’s view and say, “I’m not like that.” It’s even harder to admit that we are imperfect, flawed human beings. That’s why Cap follows his moral compass throughout the film; he refuses to settle for second best and knows something is deeply flawed in the system. His integrity is rewarded in a huge way near the film’s ending.

Just like Cap, we live in hard times. We all have a choice to make, but with the news and politics trying to push agendas down our throats, it’s getting difficult to make the right choice. However, The Winter Soldier makes a solid statement we all need to hear; just because people follow the crowd, it doesn’t mean you have to. In other words, don’t compromise your beliefs to be liked or loved.

God made us to stand out apart from the world, not indulge in it. 1 Samuel 8:7 (NIV) states “And the Lord told him: ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.’” In a similar way, we are like the Israelites: we grumble or complain, often forgetting that God is still good.

Another Bible verse that applies here is Proverbs 16:2; “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.” Going back to the SHIELD part of this film, viewers and Cap notice choices that are created with good intentions but end up misused for the wrong reasons. Cap weighs as an innocent stand in for us humans: he sees flaws but doesn’t let them go unnoticed.

The Winter Soldier is a rare film that’s relevant to the times we are in today. Although it was released in April 2014, the sequel still holds up to the current MCU films today. The Winter Soldier has content problems, but also serves as a springboard for discussion about topics in today’s world. That’s what makes it unique.