After a pretty uninspired first movie, Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and given little of note to do in the superhero smash-up The Avengers (2012), Captain America (Chris Evans) was quickly becoming the dullest Marvel superhero of them all. Kudos then, to directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who have not only rounded Cap a.k.a. Steve Rogers into a sympathetic, old-school hero in the face of very 21st century dangers, but they have made the best stand-alone Marvel film to date, surpassing Iron Man (2008), and flipping the tired formula of hero- smashes-baddie completely on its head.

After the events of The Avengers, Captain America is finding it difficult adapting to modern life. He's working for S.H.I.E.L.D. and running rings (literally) around his fellow soldiers, such as Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), who he quickly forms a close bond with. After a successful mission taking out some pirates and rescuing some hostages, he learns that his mission differed from that of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), who went along with him. Not wanting to be a mere pawn in the system and suspecting a cover-up, he confronts director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who reveals plans to launch three helicarriers, giant warships capable of great destruction and the obliteration of enemies.

The action soon turns to sheer paranoia, as Fury is attacked in one of the movie's best action scenes, and Cap is left to fend for himself as S.H.I.E.L.D., led by the shadowy Alexander Pierce (a wonderful against- type Robert Redford), closes around him. The only person resembling a true 'bad guy' is The Winter Soldier, a metal-armed assassin who seems to mirror Captain America's strength and agility, only with a clinical skill for murder. The Winter Soldier's identity is a poorly kept secret if you happened to be slightly paying attention in the trailer, and his presence is sadly fleeting, especially given the emotional impact his character has on Cap.

But this is a story skilfully told, drenched in a paranoia so prevalent in 1970's American cinema, when Robert Redford was 40 years younger and was usually running from the type he plays here. By taking this unusual and thoughtful approach, Captain America 2 truly enthrals, making us care about a hero that was once a goody-two-shoes, but is now a three dimensional man struggling to adapt to this new, crazy world, having everything he believed and loved about his country smeared in his face. Evans brings a humility to the role, and his scenes with Black Widow (given more screen-time here and lending more evidence to the need for her own stand-alone movie) sparkle with a real chemistry.

For all it's conspiracy plotting and character building, it's not shy on action. The slightly formulaic climax aside, we get to see Captain America finally let loose and lay a beat-down on some unfortunate fellas in close-quarters, Jason Bourne/The Raid (2011)-style. His shield is no longer just a sort of frisbee-boomerang hybrid, but a lethal weapon. But the finest, surprisingly, involves Nick Fury, a near-indestructible car, and a small fleet of cop cars. It's a fantastic film, not only down to it's well-constructed and emotionally-charged action scenes, or the inclusion of a plot you can sink your teeth into, but mainly for injecting life and genuine excitement back into Marvel's increasingly tedious formula.

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