Shiller sat in the cinema seat. He was probably the only one among them who recognized Mephisto. But to be fair, Mephisto acted really well.
However, when you think about it, if Devils couldn't disguise themselves as avatars of justice, they wouldn't be able to deceive so many people. After all, not everyone has psychopathy, knowing you're a devil yet still following you. Most of the tricks of Devils are about disguising themselves as Angels or God's messengers.
It can be said that Mephisto is one of those rare villains who is aware of how evil they are. He never wanted to save a world he deemed perfect. He was very clear that the purpose of all his actions was solely to fulfill his desires.
That means he isn't the kind of naturally psychopathic talent but rather a diligent one. He knows his desire is insatiable and must constantly deceive the human race, making them offer up faith and soul, continuously polishing his acting skills, enhancing his temperament to become an excellent Devil with strong camouflage skills and persuasive power, using his talents to expand his faith.
This is also the reason why Chris doesn't like him. Most artists prefer natural artistry. Inevitably, Mephisto appears to be trying too hard, especially since he chose to imitate Shiller, the talent type, right off the bat. And talent is the hardest to mimic, naturally showing flaws.
But, Captain America is ultimately a normal person, and indeed a traditional good person. Such a person is not difficult to imitate, especially since the movie only needs to show part of his qualities, Mephisto played it with ease.
Moreover, he didn't portray Captain America as a stereotypical character from a template play. He understands that a good person must have layers to not appear fake. If one keeps raising slogans all the time, they would instead appear deliberately imitated.
Speaking of what the temperament of young Captain America is like, most people would think it is that of a kind and weak youth, a great person who wouldn't even step on an ant.
It is undeniable that Captain America is indeed kind. However, the temperament of young Captain America is composed of two parts, one part is the era's temperament, the other is his own temperament.
Many people ignore the former and focus on praising the latter. But the addition of these two kinds of temperament is what truly makes Captain America.
Fortunately, Steve Rogers was born during America's golden era. Unfortunately, he was born at the end of the golden era, and he and his family became part of the fuel sacrificed for the last gasp of a dying giant.
Therefore, young Captain America is bound to be very conflicted. He loves this country deeply, filled with national pride, yet, at the same time, the poverty and dissatisfaction from reality make him feel very confused, not knowing where the problem lies. This is a unique era temperament on him.
Meanwhile, the paranoid part of his personal characteristics would gradually become apparent with such contradictions. In his youth, Captain America attributed all the country's shortcomings and his dissatisfaction to the war. He believed the war ruined his beautiful country and life, so he resolutely joined the draft.
Mephisto grasped this confusion and paranoia very well, creating a Captain America that differed from public impressions but was equally vivid and real. Clearly, this was what he saw while working with Hampton and the real Steve Rogers, perfectly expressed through his superb acting.
Because the movie is in flashback, the youth part is actually in the middle of the film, so Steve becomes increasingly silent. Meanwhile, Bucky is evidently more shocked; he's already run from the back row to the front row, his head practically leaning against the big screen.
"I suspect he peeked into my memories," Steve said, "But actually, there are many things from that time I don't even remember."
"You really were like that back then," Bucky said, "I remember very clearly, you worried about the country and the people every day and had many complaints. When you heard the draft news, you eagerly ran over in the first instant. I was stunned when I heard you were going to join the army."
Steve opened his mouth, seemingly somewhat speechless: "I was really too young then."
Everyone instinctively felt a hint of regret in his tone, but they knew it likely wasn't regret about going to war but regret about dealing with the military. Yet, without dealing with the military, he couldn't become Captain America. The ambiguous relationship with the U.S. Military is a lifelong shackle for Captain America. He can't publicly criticize the military, and even in private, he can't express his grievances to friends openly but must hide them. One can only say timing and fate.
Towards the latter part of the film, as the war scenes increased, the underlying tone began to grow more serious. After watching for a while, Steve still said: "This part is a bit exaggerated, I didn't participate in so many front-line battles. The Roaring Assault Team was mainly responsible for behind-enemy-lines work. What is this Normandy landing?"
"You didn't participate in the Normandy landing?" Stark asked somewhat confusedly, "Isn't this said to be a battle of the Anglo-American-French alliance? How could the military not send you there?"
"Because I couldn't die there," Steve sighed, "They knew this battle would be tough, and wouldn't send their propaganda mascot to the battlefield to wait for death. If I died, it would greatly hit domestic confidence, and recruitment would be even less promising."
"Put simply, they didn't believe in you." Bucky complained, arms crossed, "They just thought you could only carry out minor operations and weren't a true warrior; you should stay in the studio reading those ridiculous slogans obediently."
"Who could have thought that in the end it was the Soviets who gave me a chance?" Steve chuckled wryly, "The first day I met them, they said I was a hero, invited me for drinks, and arranged for me to be the vanguard in the Battle of Berlin. No one has ever trusted me like that."
"In fact, after the first day's battle was over, they personally said they wanted to invite me to Moscow to meet their leaders. If I hadn't fallen at that time, I might really have gotten a medal."
Everyone fell silent. It's hard to predict life's turns. The U.S. Military originally only wanted to treat Captain America as a mascot, let him perform in some safe battlefields, or just sit in a national broadcast studio shouting slogans, never thinking of letting him actually achieve something.
However, Steve's patriotic spirit and stubbornness made him unable to accept such an arrangement, yet ironically it was the Soviet Army at the time that gave him the opportunity.
And not getting a medal was indeed a regretful thing. At that time, the two countries were in a honeymoon period, America wouldn't have opposed him going to Moscow to receive a medal, and might have even hyped it up. Back then, a Soviet medal was still very prestigious, which represented a form of recognition, precisely what Steve sought after.
On the other hand, the U.S. Military just wanted the horse to run without feeding it. With Captain America's achievements, according to the normal promotion route for U.S. Army soldiers, he should at least be a lieutenant general by now. However, he has always been excluded from the military system.
Don't say rank doesn't matter. Rank represents power. No one ever thought of giving Captain America real power; they just wanted to use him while excluding him, hoping for him to promote the cause yet not wanting him to meddle in military affairs.
"They really chose the right person," Strange said, "If not for your insistence on going to the front lines and actually achieving something, the current Captain America might just be a high-profile clown."
"I have to thank my downfall," Steve admitted honestly, "The ice stole my time, but also protected me. If it weren't for that accidental fall that avoided the post-war and Cold War power shifts, I might have been caught up in the whirlpool and unlikely to come out on top."
Stark couldn't help but glance at him. No wonder Steve rarely talks about the past decades; it turns out he understood. This isn't just self-consolation. Had he not fallen and instead survived and returned, his situation during the Cold War would certainly have been very awkward.
The movie made some adaptations of Captain America's experiences. Besides the Battle of Berlin, it also shows him participating in the Normandy Landings and other tough battles. There's less focus on behind-enemy-lines activities, leaning more towards the authentic U.S. Army rather than a special assault team.
The military invested a lot and put in considerable effort. Hollywood isn't incapable of making good films; for instance, the war scenes in the second half of this movie look very realistic and oppressive. Captain America doesn't appear to be a superhero, but rather weary and in a desperate flight.
No one knew if the intensity of the original Normandy Landings could really make Captain America flee in terror. But at least, what the movie presents is quite reasonable. It portrays true carpet bombings, where every inch of land is plowed through, the ground trembles, even Captain America can't stand steady, being blasted away multiple times yet forced to grit his teeth and stand up again.
And Shiller realized at this moment, this isn't actually a superhero movie. Because Captain America is a real person in this world, not some fictional comic character.
This is a Steve Rogers biopic, a memoir of a war hero. Precisely because of this, the movie's entertainment value isn't strong, and there are almost no scenes of Captain America wearing his uniform, wielding a shield, and descending from the sky. Most of the time, he's dust-covered, crawling and struggling on the battlefield.
Compared to popcorn movies, this is more like a traditional Hollywood war blockbuster, akin to "Black Hawk Down" or "Blood Battle at Steel Saw Ridge," with a certain degree of artistic adaptation and exaggeration, but overall, it's still on the serious side.
Normally, films with insufficient entertainment don't do well at the box office, but "Captain America" was an exception. Because Captain America was already famous enough, with fans around the world, even those who came for his name would go to watch it.
Not to mention that this movie, even among war films, is considered to be very well-made, with excellent acting and great atmosphere. At the final showdown with Red Skull, when he falls into the icy depths, Mephisto's performance is explosive. Even Steve's friends today are moved by his spirit of self-sacrifice.
They initially watched it for fun, but afterward, they were speechless. Stark couldn't say anything, only patted Steve on the shoulder.
This boy born in the slums of the Brooklyn Area adhered to a spirit of patriotism from beginning to end, fighting courageously, and fearlessly sacrificing, so much so that even countries with strained relations with America must admit that Captain America is a hero.
As the camera froze on the ice, the screen dimmed, and the credits began to roll, with that jazz music of bygone eras playing, Natasha sighed: "America today doesn't deserve you."
"I don't think so," Steve shook his head and said, "At least people living in the Brooklyn Area are much better off than before. Cheap food, convenient transportation, and no imminent threat of war."
"America is not just the Federal Government and the military," he said, "it's ours, it's the Americans'. Ninety percent of this country is working to make the nation better, and we shouldn't lose faith because of a small minority. We will surely make everything right."