I initially enjoyed the first Captain American, though, after seeing this, I see how it pales in comparison.

The Winter Soldier, while it has great action set pieces, solid acting and enough twists to keep people guessing, also features a retro-spy thriller plot that was refreshing in this particular context.

Captain American is under attack. Not just by the Winter Soldier, but by the forces who he is fighting on the behalf of. This leads to some moral questioning and some re-evaluating what he stands for and why.

This sort of introspection is a welcome reprieve from wall to wall action. While The Winter Soldier has plenty of that, it offers a plot that borderlines on The Captain's paranoia, which, as it turns out, is well placed.