Sunday 29 November 2015

SILVER LININGS COLUMN-The Russo Brothers Are The Right Team For 'Captain America-Civil War'

Game Of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s

Captain America, The Winter Soldier, The Falcon, Ant-Man, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Agent 33. Or Iron Man, War Machine, The Vision, Black Panther and Widow. Whose side are you on? Either way you can't deny that D.C. have moved to Marvel's side once again with the 'Dawn Of Justice' of their 'Batman V Superman' movie with the trailer for this new awakening force that is set to make its big screen debut before some Christmas movie called 'Star Wars'. You can't deny that the Avengers 2.5 'Captain America-Civil War' trailer is all everyone in the Hollywood movie world and the big bang comic-book geek one is talking about right now. But when it comes to the time to pick a side who do you go with? The soldier or the metal man? Well the side and team you should really count on is the one you least expect...

...the Russo brothers.

Brother the trailers excitement is going to battle with all else you use your phone to procrastinate and distract you from..is it bad/geeky I've lost count of how many times I've watched this on Youtube? From the continuation of the 'Ant-Man' post credits scene to the "he's my friend", "so was I" bromance tear-jerking end. Coupled (or should we say tripled) with one hell of a 'Dragonball Z' style tag-team fight (we see you Tyrone Magnus...your trailer reactions are the best) that is an Easter Egg all itself to who may one day carry the Captain's shield after Chris Evans' Steve Rogers. And let's not get started on the debate for all the Easter Eggs we didn't see ("YELLOW TRUCK"!) along with the characters that join the Incredible Hulk (at least General Thunderbolt Ross is back) and Thor M.I.A., from enemies like Baron Zemo and Crossbones to new heroes that we didn't see like Ant-Man (well, at least I didn't think we saw him), The Vision and to catch the highly anticipated, long awaited, new Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man. Oh and how could we forget the Black Freaking Panther?! Did you see him run? Or the Falcon flipping out and taking two people out at the same time...and I bet you thought he only got exciting when the wings came out? The trailer that has been long over-due offers us so much and withholds even more to get us more than ready for its May day release.

Yet all this excitement comes from two men and I'm not talking about Chris Evans' Captain America and Robert Downey Jnr's Iron Man...even though they've made for one hell of a frenemy pair going toe-to-toe ever since they dared each other to put on the suit. Now suiting up together the banter is back as they threaten to go a few rounds and punch each other in their perfect teeth, but there's much more emotion and meaning behind all of that with everything these Avengers have been through all the way to this years monster 'Age Of Ultron' (maybe Cap did end up taking from Tony Stark's pile of wood). And it's the Russo brothers who bring this all out, making the battle between Marvel's two most popular heroes even more iconic than the fight between D.C.'s top tandem. After all the Russo brothers have given us the best Marvel Avengers film in this phase and maybe even all-time with 'The Winter Soldier' sequel that made us forgive and forget the longing for the war, torn, days gone by texture and traditions of 'The First Avenger' movie (along with Hayley Atwell's 'Agent Carter' of course). Now these brothers in arms with greater storytelling than Thor and Loki could take this war to 'Infinity'...parts one and two.

'The Winter Soldier' has it all. Action, drama, excitement, emotion, thrills, spills. Links to everything including 'Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D' (its all connected). But it was the way it was shot, where it was set (the political capital of Washington D.C.) and everything in-between that made it not only one of the best superhero movies of all-time (certainly the best since 'The Dark Knight'), but a great thriller that even exists as the perfect movie aside from the supernatural, superhero stuff. Take away that shield and subtlety this is one of the modern days great action movies that harks back to the good old, golden era days of the 90's. And add everything to do with 'S.H.I.E.L.D' itself and you have a spy, secret service movie of cat and mouse, 'who done its' that could find itself and the sum of all its fears under the clear and present danger shadows and patriot games of a Jack Ryan movie. Harrison Ford would love this.

Shot first and foremost between the green and city streets of downtown D.C. too, it almost has an 'In The Line Of Fire' feel to it. From the Mall to the Lincoln memorial, making the worlds most famous, do-good superhero almost presidential in the comic-book world. Clint Eastwood may as well have shot it. That's what makes all those terrifyingly thrilling, amazing action scenes with Bucky Barnes brainwashed 'Winter Soldier' villain all that more ice cold chilling. Now just like moving from World War 2 to this present day 'Civil War', the transition of Buck from great bad guy to fallen hero, no longer dispatching enemies and taking everyone out like 'The Terminator' will in the end be as welcome as it at first seems unwelcome. That's because the Russo's have got this. We can already see that Cold War era spy stuff going on in the new trailer like the best directing brothers since the Cohen brothers were the men from U.N.C.L.E. The jumping from buildings to escape a swat team ascending the stairs. The situation room briefing by Generals that keep the origins of the comic-books registration act alive. The helicopters, the airport face offs, the defining dialogue, bar-room talk whilst going leather and aviator undercover, the tunnel chases. It's all there and it's all classic stuff, old school or new hero generation. These super siblings are really bringing the old school feel and vintage vibe of classic Captain America comic graphic novels like 'No Escape' (Baron Zemo) and 'The Trial Of Captain America' (maybe a future film) to cell to screen legendary legacy, movie making life. It's all going to mean so much more come next year too, because when it comes to 'Captain America 3' you know you can count on the Russo's when it comes to going into battle. It's time for 'Civil War'! TIM DAVID HARVEY.

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