“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is not simply a cliche movie about a hero rising against a villain, rather it tells the story of a hero fighting his own agency and his childhood friend.

Through captivating action scenes and the great connections between the main characters, this movie is both entertaining and a puzzle to figure out. As viewers, we are left on our toes wondering whom to  trust. We have to piece together the past in order to figure out who the enemy is and how the Winter Soldier was created. This is an exciting movie with glimpses of Cleveland throughout; that is, if you can spot them.

The premise of this film is that Captain America has been cryogenically frozen since the 1940s and is working present-day for the anti-crime agency S.H.I.E.L.D. with the other members of the Avengers, a band of six superheroes.

Both The Winter Soldier, Capt. America’s supposedly deceased childhood friend, and S.H.I.E.L.D. are under the control of the terrorist organization HYDRA, which intends to kill hundreds of thousands of people around the world using armed helicarriers based on a computer’s calculation of their likelihood of committing a crime. When Capt. America and Black Widow, a fellow Avenger, learn of these plans, they become targets and must try to find a way to stop HYDRA before the helicarriers are deployed to begin the worldwide attack on innocent civilians. Their plan to stop HYDRA includes finding the HYDRA mole who has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and fighting the Winter Soldier, who has been brainwashed and mechanically enhanced.

SPOILER ALERT: Using the help of a new friend, pararescueman Sam Wilson, Black Widow and Capt. America reprogram the helicarriers to destroy each other and expose the HYDRA mole.

One of the strengths of the film are the intense action scenes with amazing graphics. There was not a single action sequence that was unconvincing. While the movie is set in Washington D.C., many of these scenes are recognizable as downtown Cleveland. That only adds to the fun as it leads one to wonder how much the recognizable shops and buildings were really destroyed in the filming.

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Chris Evans as Capt. America develop a relationship characterized by light-hearted mockery. Black Widow tries to convince Capt. America that he really needs to be dating, and she suggests multiple suitors during the course of the film, but we see a warmer side of their relationship as Black Widow’s past is revealed. The bonds are convincing and are only enhanced by the stoicism and confidence that Johansson brings to the character, while Evans impressively feigns that he is from WWII era and is adjusting to contemporary society.

Anthony Mackie completes the trio as Sam Wilson. As we first meet him, Wilson is hilariously frustrated as Capt. America is literally running loops around him while both are taking a morning run. Of course Wilson has a suggestion to help Capt. America transition into contemporary society: Marvin Gaye’s Trouble Man soundtrack. Capt. America adds it to a list he is keeping of suggestions but he doesn’t seem too enthusiastic. As Capt. America is recovering in the hospital after the final fight, Wilson plays the album, a hilarious juxtaposition to the drama of the previous scene. Anthony Mackie brings his character a sense of humor and compassion, yet a great deal of strength, making us love him as a sidekick.

Overall, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is definitely a movie I would recommend, especially if you are a Marvel fan. The depth of the plot and the great band of characters make it a great action-packed movie with a connection to Cleveland.