A stripped-down, more dogged entry in the ever-expanding crushing force that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unwilling to rest on their laurels, Marvel with Captain America: The Winter Solider wisely swerves the increasingly flagging formulaic characteristics of the generic superhero blockbuster and explores more grown up, mature themes with its instilled political connotations of conspiracy, trusted intelligence agency infiltration and high-stakes espionage in a delectably self-assured way. The intimate close quarters, stealth driven combat scenes are akin to those of confident military actioners as opposed to Marvel's usual elaborate hulking action sequences; a refreshing deviation, although normal big-budget battling service is resumed in the latter parts of proceedings. Furthermore, new character introductions felt purposeful and detrimental to the plot and the antagonists served as believable threats not just role-fillers. Likewise, every twist was meaningful and intrinsically forced the audience to question the intentions and integrity of the characters we have come to know and invest in. With the past coming back to haunt Cap and his crew it really added weight to the ensuing events and now knowing history could come back to bite at anytime supplies food for thought to it's sister instalments still to come. Not knowing whom to trust, Capt. America felt like a real superhero in this movie, rather than just Steve Rogers, the superhuman that can run fast and jump high posing as the patriotic front of The Avengers.

Chris Evans reprising his role as the cryogenically preserved, genetically optimized and physically superior World War II veteran, Steve Rogers/Captain America, affords a much-improved performance from his previous outing in The Avengers where there was too much fish-out-of- water emphasis placed on the first Avengers escapades. Evans comes on leaps and bounds as Captain America, especially when his backs against a wall and when the proverbial fate of the innocent really does rest solely on his shoulders. His already established humanistic elements were joined by some welcomed larger-than-life superhero characteristics rendering him more viable and believable as a gallant heroic saviour rather than just an impressive mortal being; more Captain America than Steve Rogers, which was a noteworthy plus point. In addition, his scenes with the foreboding Winter Soldier played by a striking Sebastian Stan were some of shining high points of the movie. Also reprising her role and armed with considerable screen time, Scarlett Johansson as the expertly trained sultry S.H.I.E.L.D. spy Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff delivers a tantalizing performance with an air of vulnerability in her narrative bolstering Johansson's Black Widow portrayal. Samuel L. Jackson as the all-knowing S.H.I.E.L.D. director, Nick Fury is at his derisive best. Nonetheless, Robert Redford is responsible for the standout performance in The Winter Soldier. His shifty Alexander Pierce is marvellous, and Redford's skillful way of developing a consistent aura that he has an ulterior motive throughout the film is testament to him as an actor. Amongst other character renderings, the Introduction of ex-military paratrooper Sam Wilson/Falcon enacted by Anthony Mackie was fine, was not overplayed and the character fitted seamlessly into the plot.

The Winter Soldier is a markedly more sober and stark instalment when compared to its sister entries. Grounded on a solid premise, co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo take the niftily penned Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely script, and translate it onto the big screen as a strong, lean, grittily toned espionage action-thriller flick, chock-full of double-crosses together with political undertones and lofty ramifications worthy of interest. Apt character progression and expertly shot, mood-setting combat scenes served as the catalyst for success here. Also revealing the significance of past goings-on further validates the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. Quite possibly the next best entry only to The Avengers itself, Captain America: The Winter Solider has loaded yet another genre front running bullet into the Marvel gun. They will persist to make boatloads of money despite themselves but when they can still find ways to continue to deliver fresh-feeling movies, nine instalments down the line, it only bodes well for the future of the franchise. Here's hoping Marvel continues to throw spanners in the works and vary the story arcs up from film to film as they have successfully done here with The Winter Solider.