"I thought the punishment usually came after the crime."
"We can't afford to wait that long."
"We can't afford to wait that long."
"Who's We?"
Great question isn't it? Who IS We? Who decided that pre-emptive strikes would overturn due process? When did this happen? Who is a threat, and to whom?
These are the questions Captain America, and it's titular hero, throw around with increasing disbelief. In hindsight, how could he not. A walking anachronism from an era where millions died gruesome deaths to defeat the forces of authoritarianism, the Captain feels disconnected from the current state of social apathy towards freedom. If Steven Rogers is the embodiment of old American values, his juxtaposition with the mutilated military-industrial-complex draws a sharp and uncomfortable contrast for the viewers. How has this evil survived, even grown, while the rest of us bury our concerns deep like human ostriches? If this was Star Wars, Yoda would probably say, "The dark side clouds everything. To see the future, difficult it is".
We live in a world where the volume, variety and velocity of user data being generated is so large that we've had to coin a new word for it - Big Data. From marketeers to intelligence analysts, everyone is trying to predict future behavior. Without giving too much away, this forms an important theme around which the entire Marvel Universe turns on it's head. While i was watching the events unfold, i was reminded of the underrated Minority Report. PreCrime and PreventivePunishment. Of course instead of precognitive beings, we now have data and predictive engines. When all is said and done, do we truly trust absolute power to decide between patriotism and terrorism? The future of drones and government tagged terrorists isn't as far off as somnolent citizens might believe, and the Winter Soldier makes that point eloquently, and urgently.
Since this is a Captain America venture, the movie itself doesn't get bogged down in a downward spiral of cynical nihilism. The Captain and his physics-defying shield smash through walls and windows and villains in a frenetic fashion. Which is not to say that his path is clear, or even safe. There is a foreboding sense of peril every time the Winter Soldier manifests like a familiar apparition. The fighting is kinetic and meticulously choreographed. Blink, and you'll miss Natasha Romanov shoot a window first, before crashing through it trying to escape a grenade. This is a fun, intelligent action movie that will stay with you for a while, if you let it. The dialogues carry timely meaning, if you impart them the value they deserve.
Most people will come out of the experience thrilled and optimistic about the future of the quintessential American hero, and in some way, about America itself. If a fight for the soul of the nation needs to be fought, then so be it. Heroes shall win. I myself came out wondering. There was a mandatory superhero exposition towards the end, where Capn America tells his fellow Americans that the price of freedom is high. And he is willing to pay it, even if he's the only one. But he's willing to bet he's not.
I wonder about that. I'd be willing to bet he is.
