Review: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER  (ACTION/SCI-FI) 
3.5 out of 4 stars
Directed by Anthony Russo & Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson, Emily VanCamp, Frank Grillo, Hayley Atwell, Toby Jones
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, gunplay and action throughout.
Verdict: A significant improvement over Marvel Studio's last couple outings, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER ups the ante in preparation for next year's AVENGERS sequel, but in an admirably self-contained respect that builds on the strengths of its main character and his supporting cast.  Plus, the action set-pieces are marvelous.
YOU MAY ENJOY CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER IF YOU ENJOYED:
MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS (2012)
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011)
IRON MAN (2008)
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (2007)
THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER ranks in the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" a bit below MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS and IRON MAN, but above CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER and IRON MAN 3.  It is easily the best installment in the "Phase Two" (post-AVENGERS) chapter of Marvel Studios' interlinked film franchises.
The advertising has revealed surprisingly little of the plot, so it's tricky to explain the synopsis without entering "spoiler territory", but I'll do my best.  Two years following THE AVENGERS, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), aka "Captain America" is still struggling to adjust to the world of the 21st Century, while carrying out missions for S.H.I.E.L.D. alongside elite espionage agent/assassin Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), aka "Black Widow".  It isn't the technological advances of modern society that trouble him so much as the culture of distrust and "Patriot Act"-style, post-9/11 security measures.  When a legendary Cold War-era assassin known simply as "The Winter Soldier" (Sebastian Stan) emerges from obscurity to eliminate major S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Rogers and Romanoff are forced off the grid, where they stumble upon revelations that threaten everything that they hold to be true.

Directed by sitcom veterans and brothers Joe and Anthony Russo, known for their work on Arrested Development and Community (one cameo will be particularly exciting to Community fans, while the rest of the audience is likely to be oblivious), deliver an ironically gritty product in comparison to Marvel's typically lighter pictures.  There's still plenty of good laughs to be had, but the themes are darker and more relevant (there are very clear allusions to the issue of drone aircraft operations), and the stakes are higher.  The action scenes are spectacular and the best we've had from a Marvel film since THE AVENGERS, throwing martial arts into Cap's combative talents giving a rapid and hard-hitting, Bourne-esque style to the fight scenes.  There's also a couple of spectacular bullet-riddled car chases/gunfights and the customary bombastically destructive finale, but it never feels as excessive as IRON MAN 3's and THOR: THE DARK WORLD's climactic showdowns.
Marvel has already booked the Russo brothers for the third Captain America installment (due for summer 2016), and it's not hard to see why.  Although everyone should already know by now, a sit through the credits is wholly worth it, even after the mid-credits sting.  Wait until the very end, because there's still more to be had, and it's a thrill to see those words, "Captain America will return in Avengers: Age of Ultron".  One can hardly wait for 2015.