WARNING: This Article May Contain Spoilers
Now, I know what you’re all going to say and that’s that Captain America isn’t the first Marvel hero that Chris Evans has played because he was the original Flame Boy (of my generation anyway). However, Captain America is the more significant role of the two and he made more films as that character.
Push
First things first, the concept for this film is 100% better than the way it’s portrayed but it’s also not the worst film I’ve seen. It’s clear that Evans is a protagonist but it’s a shame to say that his character is weaker than maybe he’s supposed to be. He has either honed his skills as a hero since this film or the character of Nick had just been written rather weak, which is honestly a shame. A positive though, and I think this is pretty important, I think he and Dakota Fanning have good on-screen chemistry.
Street Kings
What’s clever about this film is that even though our main characters are all cops – no one is squeaky clean. The same goes for Evans’ character of Diskant. I assumed when you first meet him that he’s going to be trying to take down Ludlow, assuming like everyone else that he had a hand in the murder of Washington. However, it turns out that he’s bought into a deal with the Devil – the head of Vice Special, Wander – to protect him. You know, cops protecting their own and all that. Now, I’m not saying that Evans is out played because it’s hard to live up to the calibre of a co-star like Keanu Reeves but he definitely does his best. It’s the same for their characters. Diskant does his bets to keep up with Ludlow in their hunt to take down Freemont and Coates but you can tell he’s still a better guy in comparison – leading to his unfortunate end.
Newcomers
This is Evans’ first film but I’ll be honest, I feel a little bit misled by this film. If you look at the poster, it looks like Chris’ character is going to be much bigger than it actually ends up being. Let me put it this way. The film is just under 90 minutes long and he only seems to have about three scenes altogether. Obviously, the story of Sam and the bullying he endures throughout the film is the main plot of the film but it almost feels like there was supposed to be more of an interaction between Judd, that’s Chris Evans’ character, and Courtney (played by Kate Bosworth) but it got cut. Because of this, it feels like the chemistry that is supposed to develop between Judd and Courtney is rushed and squeezed into the last 20 minutes of the film. What I do like however, is seeing the guy we know for playing a strong, leading role – being an awkward teenager.
Honorary Mentions
I just want to say, Chris Evans was a very busy man before he took on the mantel of Captain America. Obviously, as I already mentioned he starred as Flame Boy in Fantastic Four back in 2005. Of course, starting acting as a teenager at the age of 19 – Chris appeared in your typical cheesy high school flicks like Not Another Teen Movie and The Perfect Score (which was alongside MCU co-star Scarlett Johansson, I might add). He gradually began to move up in the world of cinema and started making much darker films like Cellular and Sunshine. My favourite fact however, is that at the age of 20 – Chris Evans featured in the music video for Marilyn Manson’s Tainted Love.
