~Review originally posted via Instagram (at "@oratiosanctus") on May 20th, 2018.

***

In a post-Infinity War world, does a film like The Winter Soldier still hold its place in the Marvel ranks as one of its best? The simple answer, yes. When the task came to create a Captain America sequel that followed on from the events of The Avengers (2012), the task fell to the Russo Brothers (then newcomers to Marvel Studios) to create a film where the stakes felt higher than ever. How do you do that? By writing an espionage thriller that compromises the very agency the heroes always thought they could rely on, S.H.I.E.L.D.

Watching this film again after a fair few years past, I was delighted by how well it still holds up; not only as a superhero flick but as a riveting and hard-edged drama. At its core, this is essentially a film that is a story of brothers: both new and old; one's gained and those lost. It's there The Winter Soldier finds its heart. Even if you remove the excellent action set-pieces that drive a huge part of this movie or the gorgeous cinematography that fill its almost every frame, the performances by each member of the cast - from Chris Evans' Steve Rogers/Captain America to Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, to Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury and Cobie Smulder's Maria Hill - is the movie's real strength. The actor's performances are carried home by these threatened notions of family and the comfort that had once come with that.

Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon gives a wonderful turn in this movie, breathing life into the picture as a likeable ally to Cap, but it's with Sebastian Stan's phenomenal turn as the mysterious Winter Soldier that the film finds its true standout. No longer the Bucky we knew, he is every bit as shocking and threatening as he needed to be and Stan's performance is one driven by tragedy and emotional loss. He is utterly convincing in the role.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier holds its place as one of the MCU's most consistent films to date, and is a must-watch for all Marvel fans.