There are 23 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the time of this writing, each containing villains of varying effectiveness. Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier is the most compelling and threatening to appear in any of them by a country mile. Thanos will always seem a bit tepid in comparison if for no other reason than that washed out purple skin that looks great in the comics but distracting on screen. Apologies to purple people. The 2011 film is a mainstay at the top of “best of MCU” lists and for my money it is unquestionably the finest in a franchise full of excellent films. It is no spoiler at this point that the central conflict and “surprise” of Captain America: The Winter Soldier is Bucky Barnes’ resurrection as the titular shadow soviet assassin. Most of us geeks knew the plot twist going in. The movie still finds a way to build suspense around the ultimate reveal. The Winter Soldier himself crackles with dread and comes across as a clear and present threat in a series of films known to struggle with presenting compelling villainy. Fight choreography has the look and feel of what you would see in Extraction or John Wick. It’s that good. The film’s crowning achievement (along with The Crow, Logan, Joker, The Dark Knight) is standing up confidently as a competent and engaging piece of cinema, superhero genre or otherwise. It’s one of the only MCU movies I will re-watch yearly. I’ll never tire of the “best friend becomes most dangerous enemy” trope. The Cap/Bucky bromance continues.
The Quick Critic
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