The Winter Soldier (2014) or CATWS, directed by the Russo Brothers, helps twist the audience’s perspective on Marvel’s formula for creating a blockbuster hit. For me, even five years after its release, it is the best Marvel movie to date. The movie is action-packed, fast-paced, and brutally moves from one shocking betrayal and surprise to the next that leaves you wondering if anyone is who they say they are. CATWS is centered around Captain America who is thrown into a web of lies and intrigue after an attack on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Allied with the Black Widow and the Falcon, Captain America seeks to expose a widening conspiracy until an unexpected enemy arises. The use of action scenes filled with breathtaking stunts, striking violence, thought-provoking moral dilemmas, and positive portrayal of strong females have all played a role in developing a new, more critical view of the news media. I continue to view news media both in newspapers and on TV, but I am more ready to question authority and the extent of power and corruption.
I first watched CATWS in the summer of 2015, a year after the movie was released in theaters and when I was fifteen years old. I had seen enough basic violence that the PG-13 rating allows so I wasn’t terribly surprised by the violence that I saw. I adored every minute of the movie and to this day, is my favorite Marvel movie. I was enthralled with the captivating stunts, emotional gravitas of the characters, and intense moral dilemma of doing the right thing. After watching CATWS as a college student, I remembered why the movie had such an impact on me. CATWS has played a key role in the level of trust I give to the media, especially the news. CATWS has also changed the way I view and understand large companies and government operations. In one scene, Captain America comes to the revelation that S.H.I.E.L.D has been lying about who they say they are after the director sets Captain America’s former colleagues on him. After a tense battle in an elevator, one of the colleagues tells him that what they are doing “isn’t personal” to which a furious and hurt Captain America knocks him out and reply’s “it kind of is.” Just like Captain America’s anger, I become mad when I read or hear a story in the news that I believe to be true until it comes out later that parts of the story were made up or not all the information was given due to bias. So, as the news media screams of corruption and government wrongdoings 24/7, I am forced to pick apart the bits of truth from each story and ensure what I am also digesting isn’t lies.
As someone who is a journalist, I strive to make sure all the information I have gathered is accurate. Writing over twenty news articles and opinion editorials has made me realize that you must tell the truth – if you do not, then you lose all credibility. If I get something wrong or falsely report a fact because I do not like it, I am also destroying the trust of readers towards news in general.
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How far are you willing to go for your best friend, a person you deeply care about? It’s a moral dilemma we sometimes must face. Captain America is chasing unknown enemy during the beginning of CATWS, called the Winter Soldier, with every intent to kill him. Then it is revealed that the Winter Soldier is in fact Captain America best friend. The scene reaches it climatic peak as the brainwashed best friend nearly beats Captain America to death. Captain America is willing to risk his own life and jeopardizes the mission to save S.H.I.E.L.D because he believes that there is still good in the Winter Soldier. When I watched this upfold, I sat back and questioned whether I would go that far and risk my life for my best friends.
To this day, female characters in action movies are still portrayed as shallow, weak people who serve as the love interest, only care what they look like, and need rescuing. However, CATWS is not that type of movie. This movie passes all three of the Bechdel Tests, which is a measure used to see whether a film portrays women in a sexist or stereotypical manner. In CATWS, it was refreshing to see not one, but four capable women kick butt on screen. They take down bad guys by themselves, hold high positions of power, are emotionally complex, and do not worry about how they look. While in today’s news world we see a strong uptick in women in politics, but so often when talking about their glass-ceiling shattering achievements, there clothes and makeup are also mentioned. As a woman, it’s defeating to read or hear a great story of a smart, capable young woman only to reach the end and have her summed up by what she looks like. I hope that someday women will be defined by her moral character and decisions not her outfits and her face.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a profound and captivating movie from start to finish that made me question my view of news media. The movie has given me hope about the portrayal of female characters in movies that show they can be tenacious and help do what’s right as an emotionally layered peoples, not one – dimensional objects of attraction for men. CATWS has also changed the way I look at news media and the oligopolies that oversee them. Before I watched the movie, I never realized the extent in which businesses will go to cover up misgivings. Afterwards, I realize that I should always confirm the facts the news outlets and find routinely credible sources for information because I might be getting a different story somewhere else and that the news corporations are run by large oligopolies who might have an agenda they want to impose. This begs the question, at what point are you willing to stand up against the deceit you were told and act against it?
