In a year filled with Oscar contenders based on historical events, “Zero Dark Thirty” blows the competition out of the water. More modern and detailed than “Lincoln” and more powerful and fulfilling than “Argo,” “Zero Dark Thirty” is arguably the best picture of the year.

Over the course of roughly two-and-a-half hours, the film portrays political struggle, bloody violence and ultimate triumph through pointed acting and a detailed script. For those expecting a fast-paced classic shoot-‘em-up action flick, this might not be the ideal movie choice. But with the understanding that the film is about the years of methodical intelligence work in addition to the famed raid, this picture won’t disappoint.

Director Kathryn Bigelow follows up her acclaimed “The Hurt Locker” with another gripping war film. Through the eyes of CIA officer Maya (Jessica Chastain), Bigelow presents a decade of intelligence and military operations aimed at finding and killing the world’s most infamous terrorist.

Chastain vividly portrays the protagonist, an intelligence officer who has worked over an entire decade toward one goal: hunting down Osama bin Laden. The gore and damage Maya’s operations cause visibly shake her, but her single-minded drive remains prevalent throughout, keeping her from getting sidetracked. She also stands out in a male-dominated profession, offering a softer contrast to the rigid men who work alongside her.

Despite its brilliance, the film sparked controversy for its portrayal of torture as integral to tracking down bin Laden. But the interrogation scenes, which are not as graphic as in other movies, are key in adding to the underlying theme. They portray the struggle of the fight, the hardships in knowing who to talk to, who to trust and how to track down their ultimate goal. Bigelow carefully and necessarily uses torture as a method to weigh the costs of the battle.

She also vigilantly includes key events in the War on Terror in the course of the story, which seem to highlight the enduring struggle that many faced before killing bin Laden. Bigelow additionally avoids getting into the personal lives of Maya and other central characters. The film only focuses on their personalities and convictions as related to their work, which keeps the plot focused on the struggle to kill bin Laden.

Toward the end of the film, after watching intricate details regarding the steps to finding bin Laden, complete with informants, interrogation, chases and unexpected turns, viewers get what they were waiting for: a vivid account of the raid on bin Laden’s compound. In the scene that defines the elaborately detailed yet suspenseful story, the audience watches Navy SEALs storm the compound, through the lens of gloomy-green night vision goggles. Bigelow carefully crafts this scene, like the rest of the movie, to add to the suspense and gravity of this real-life situation.

Brilliant performances from Chris Pratt and Joel Edgerton show the quick and difficult decisions operatives had to make during the raid, all performed on the backdrop of an elaborate set.

Both the production of the film, and the complicated story it tells beg the question: with so many struggles, loss and agony, was the fight worth it?