I am a huge fan of superhero movies, but even I have to admit that these movies don’t normally have the most complicated plots. After all, people go to superhero movies to watch thrilling fight scenes and expensive special effects; no one wants to exert a lot of effort thinking about storylines. Captain America – The Winter Soldier, however, isn’t like its fellow films. While this excellent movie has its fair share of action, it was far more enjoyable because of its thought-provoking plot, one that highlights an important political question of the modern era: where is the line between security and freedom?

The second installment of the Captain America franchise begins shortly after the events of The Avengers. Much like in that movie, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), or Captain America, is struggling to adapt to the new world in which he lives. Although he still works for S.H.I.E.L.D. – he and Natasha Romanov (Scarlet Johansson) even attack a pirate ship holding S.H.I.E.L.D. hostages in the beginning of the movie – he doesn’t agree with the methods of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and the rest of the organization, particularly Fury’s decision to build three large Helicarriers that are capable of preemptively eliminating threats.

Fury suspects something, however, when he is unable to access data about the Hellicarriers. Before he can meet up with Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), his second-in-command, to discuss his concerns, he is gunned down by an assassin known only as the Winter Soldier. Before he “dies,” he warns Rogers not to trust anyone because S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised. For the rest of the movie, Rogers and Romanov attempt to uncover the treachery hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D., finally teaming up with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), a former soldier, to save the lives of millions.

Obviously, this movie was filled with excellent fights, from Romanov’s annihilation of several pirates to Captain America’s fight with almost a dozen S.H.I.E.L.D agents. However, this film was also blessed with great acting performances by Evans, Johansson, Jackson, and acting legend Robert Redford. The chemistry between Johansson and Evans was particularly smooth, making it very enjoyable to watch them interact. Yet the plot is the best feature of this movie. Not only is it believable, but it is also a heavily debated issue in society today. As Fury constantly reminds Rogers throughout the movie, the world isn’t black and white and this movie does a great job at addressing this fact.