Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2014

The WWII-era, patriotically named hero has been conveniently deep-frozen for a few decades, probably so he can participate in Avengers movies. It all depends on whether or not you’re into superhero flicks. If you’re not, it’s a lot of noise. If you are, this is a well-crafted, old-school thriller that’s engrossing but appropriately forgettable. Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson are good, with surprising character depth. And Robert Redford (!) gleefully demolishes his own liberal crusader persona. It’s also grounded in real-world concerns, from misguided anti-terrorism programs to WikiLeaks. (135 min)