{"id":35174,"date":"2014-09-10T17:21:24","date_gmt":"2014-09-10T21:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=35174"},"modified":"2021-05-08T17:30:56","modified_gmt":"2021-05-08T21:30:56","slug":"captain-america-the-winter-soldier-2014-blu-ray-digital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/10\/captain-america-the-winter-soldier-2014-blu-ray-digital\/","title":{"rendered":"Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) [Blu-Ray\/Digital]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I was originally lukewarm on \u201cThe First Avenger,\u201d so it\u2019s refreshing to see the follow up to the first Captain America not only offer up a mature and complex story, but transform Captain America in to a pariah. You know the nation is in peril when its biggest patriot is on the run from the very country he vowed to fight for. \u201cThe Winter Soldier\u201d presents shades of \u201cThree Days of the Condor<\/strong><\/a>\u201d when Steve Rogers and Black Widow become fugitives when a simple rescue mission to save SHIELD agents puts them smack dab in the middle of a nefarious plot that could change the world as we know it. Fleeing from authorities at every corner, Captain America and Black Widow have to thwart all kinds of attempts at their lives.<\/p>\n

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This includes government officials, relentless agents, and a murderous enigmatic assassin named The Winter Soldier who matches Cap in strength, speed, and cunning. To seal the parallels to \u201c3 Days of the Condor\u201d even further, Robert Redford gives a fantastic performance as a SHIELD director who is desperately pursuing Captain America when he flees after being accused of betraying the country. Redford\u2019s turn as Alexander Pierce is menacing and yet just as complex as the narrative, depicting a character who\u2019s as patriotic as Rogers. Just not to the same cause. \u201cCaptain America: The Winter Soldier\u201d is a surprisingly mature approach to its source material, playing on relevant themes of government surveillance and terrorism, while touching on controversial topics like fear mongering, false flag events, and manipulation of the mainstream media.<\/p>\n

Directors Anthony and Joe Russo paint a surprisingly unique and often brilliant action thriller, where Rogers is so confused and torn between his self-preservation and love for his country that he can barely don the costume while attempting to hide in a world he\u2019s still not very familiar with. Among the stand out performances in a superbly put together sequel is Anthony Mackie who is pitch perfect casting as Sam Wilson, otherwise known as The Falcon, who forms an alliance with Rogers, convinced he\u2019s been set up and sets out to find out whom. \u201cThe Winter Soldier\u201d is a wonderful action film for hardcore comic book buffs, but also an adult, thrilling, and masterful political thriller that touches on relevant political themes and widens the Marvel Cinematic Universe even further. It\u2019s one of the finest films of 2014 that sets a new standard for live action variations of The Star Spangled Avenger.<\/p>\n

Among the myriad extras in the blu-ray release, there\u2019s \u201cOn the Front Line: An Inside Look at Captain America’s Battlegrounds\u201d a ten minute look inside the making of the film with interviews and insight in to the production. Kevin Feige is featured as well as the Russo Brothers, and principal cast members. \u201cOn Set with Anthony Mackie: Cut the Check!\u201d is a two minute light hearted behind the scenes extra that focuses on the casting of Anthony Mackie, the challenges of creating the Falcon for film, and his role in the movie. There\u2019s also a fun look at Mackie\u2019s habit for ending every scene by declaring \u201cCut the Check!\u201d<\/p>\n

There are four minutes of deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary from the Russo Brothers, the three minute \u201cSteve Rogers\u2019 Notebook\u201d which features a more thorough look at Captain America\u2019s sacred notebook and check list he uses throughout the film. There\u2019s also a fun three minute gag reel. Finally, there\u2019s a great Audio Commentary with Directors Anthony & Joe Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, all of whom provide a very interesting and insightful exploration of the film. They discuss which conspiracy thrillers influenced the story, their fan service, visual and practical effects, casting and performances, and so on. They also discuss the sequel\u2019s relevance to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and how it affects every other film following it. It\u2019s an audio commentary that has to be heard, and there\u2019s never a bad excuse to re-watch \u201cThe Winter Soldier.\u201d<\/p>\n