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This movie will surprise a lot of people with its heart while sacrificing none of the thrills. All too infrequently, a much hyped blockbuster hits the mark right on the spot. Captain America Civil War is such a movie. It's the best big budget movie that I've seen since Avengers. It hits a high standard of excellence by combining an intriguing plot, breathtaking action sequences, a heavy dose of self discovery and realization, charisma, a dash of true patriotism, honor, duty and puts it all together in one amazing package.

The inner turmoil worked well, the beautiful thing is that we can relate to each character. They turn convention on its ear by making Steve Rogers' flaws more apparent in this film and at the same time making Tony Stark's journey and growth very sympathetic. Steve's never say die attitude and heart of a champion makes him a true hero but those traits can lead to something not as noble. As in real life, never say die can turn in to painfully stubborn in a hurry. Both these character's motivations and journeys are more interesting then most. Can Steve remain the "good man" his creator instructed him to be in the very first film even through the most trying of times? Can the once cocky Tony Stark continue to learn and grow and work to humbly serve others even thorough anger and his own selfish tendencies?

This movie delivers on all that and on every level. It does so with great emotional moments and it's a movie that lives up to all the hype it has generated.

Telling this story needed to be done and done right. Amazingly, Michael Bay achieves true greatness with this effort. I'm overwhelmed because no one could have known Bay had this movie in him as a director.

This is a masterful film in almost every aspect and certainly in every way that truly matters. Maybe knowing the real life set up and cover up to these events helps elevate the appreciation of what hits the screen but the film holds up well even if a viewer is unaware of world affairs. The premeditated, brutal attack in 2012 on two United States installations in Benghazi, Libya is a dark chapter in not only the war on terror but in U.S. history in general. Expertly depicting the events surrounding those attacks with such tension and emotion is a credit to this film and those that made it. This includes the remarkable cast who each were superb in their roles. Maybe the first act was a bit long as characters were established and maybe the over use of shaky cam early can be considered technical flaws but when a story is this well told and this well crafted, flaws like that fall quickly by the waste side.

The movie draws you in and makes you feel like you were there on that fateful night. Without getting overly political, it informs the viewer of what happened in riveting detail. It leaves the "why did this happen and who is to blame" for the viewer to decide. The courage on display and the charisma of those that serve comes across in a big way. That (along with current political consequences) is reason enough why this story needed to be told. Thank God that they did it justice.