Tag: Jason Clarke

A House Of Dynamite

2025   Netflix

Rated:  R

Length:  1 hr  52min

Apocalyptic ~ Drama ~ Political Thriller

Directed by:  Kathryn Bigelow

Starring:  Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, and Tracy Letts.

NOT IF….WHEN.

FROM NETFLIX TUDUM:

In A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE, the day starts like any other, but then everything changes. When a single unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible, and how to respond.

That’s the nerve-wracking premise of A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE, a new thriller directed by Academy Award winner Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty) and written by Noah Oppenheim (Zero Day). Boasting an impressive ensemble cast including Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson, the film is a minute-by-minute account of what the highest levels of government would do in the face of a nuclear attack on America. Bigelow, in her own words, explains what drove her to make this visceral story after Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker and the Oscar-nominated Zero Dark Thirty.

“I grew up in an era when hiding under your school desk was considered the go-to protocol for surviving an atomic bomb. It seems absurd now, and it was, but at the time, the threat felt so immediate that such measures were taken seriously. Today, the danger has only escalated. Multiple nations possess enough nuclear weapons to end civilization within minutes. And yet, there’s a kind of collective numbness, a quiet normalization of the unthinkable. How can we call this “defense” when the inevitable outcome is total destruction? I wanted to make a film that confronts this paradox, to explore the madness of a world that lives under the constant shadow of annihilation, yet rarely speaks of it.”

THE REVIEW:

A House of Dynamite unfolds over the tense course of eighteen minutes, told through three interwoven perspectives. The story begins with President James Ellis (Idris Elba) attending a charity basketball event, where he is abruptly thrust into a national crisis upon learning of an unidentified intercontinental ballistic missile heading toward the United States, most likely hitting Chicago. As the President is evacuated, his responsibilities weigh heavily upon him, especially as he struggles to decide whether to retaliate or stand down amid this unprecedented threat.

Meanwhile, Captain Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson), second-in-command of the military operations room, remains calm and composed, overseeing the frantic defensive response. Alongside her team, she scrambles to track and intercept the incoming missile. On the military command front, General Anthony Brady (Tracy Letts) fervently advocates for an aggressive counterstrike strategy to defend the nation, whereas Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington (Gabriel Basso) counsels restraint, advising the President to avoid rash escalation. These conflicting military strategies deepen the tension and emphasize the grave stakes involved.

Adding a personal layer to the unfolding disaster, Secretary of Defense Baker (Jared Harris) is haunted by his estranged daughter residing in Chicago and becomes emotionally overwhelmed, which culminates tragically. His distracted demeanor contrasts sharply with the high-stakes government deliberations. The missile intercept attempts by ground-based interceptors tragically fail one after the other, escalating the sense of impending doom and the fragile limits of America’s defense capabilities.

The film concludes with the nation on the brink, leaving the President’s final decision ambiguous, underscoring the profound uncertainty and volatility inherent in nuclear deterrence. Government officials seek refuge in the Raven Rock Mountain Complex, while the broader fate of the country remains unresolved, symbolizing the ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation in a “house of dynamite” world where every move carries deadly consequences. In other words, we are left hanging in the end, left to draw our own conclusion as to what happens next.

It was an edge of your seat ride in the beginning, watching the events unfold. But then the questions started in my mind. Who?, Why?, Where? What is the President going to decide to do? As the movie is literally 18 minutes dissected, it leaves a lot of room for the aftermath and the stories untold. I think the movie would ultimately have been more enjoyable had it explored the aftermath, what happens when the missile hits, if it hits, and what happens then. I am not really fond of movies that leave you hanging, I personally love a resolution ending.

So, in conclusion, it was a nice ride but disappointing in the end. Although I think the Director’s aim was to make us think about “What if”, I think it would have been more effective to follow through and let us see the end result. And it would have been nice to see a lot more of Idris Alba in the first half. So that’s a maybe for me on this one, I wouldn’t watch it again.

New Movie A House Of Dynamite Debuts on Netflix Friday October 24, 2025

FROM NETFLIX TUDUM:

In A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE, the day starts like any other, but then everything changes. When a single unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible, and how to respond.

That’s the nerve-wracking premise of A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE, a new thriller directed by Academy Award winner Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty) and written by Noah Oppenheim (Zero Day). Boasting an impressive ensemble cast including Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson, the film is a minute-by-minute account of what the highest levels of government would do in the face of a nuclear attack on America. Bigelow, in her own words, explains what drove her to make this visceral story after Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker and the Oscar-nominated Zero Dark Thirty.

“I grew up in an era when hiding under your school desk was considered the go-to protocol for surviving an atomic bomb. It seems absurd now, and it was, but at the time, the threat felt so immediate that such measures were taken seriously. Today, the danger has only escalated. Multiple nations possess enough nuclear weapons to end civilization within minutes. And yet, there’s a kind of collective numbness, a quiet normalization of the unthinkable. How can we call this “defense” when the inevitable outcome is total destruction? I wanted to make a film that confronts this paradox, to explore the madness of a world that lives under the constant shadow of annihilation, yet rarely speaks of it.”

A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE also stars Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Jonah Hauer-King, Moses Ingram, Greta Lee, Jason Clarke, Malachi Beasley, Brian Tee, Brittany O’Grady, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Willa Fitzgerald, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Kyle Allen, and Kaitlyn Dever.

A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE opens in select theaters Oct. 3 in the UK, globally Oct. 10, and on Netflix Oct. 24.

 

Oppenheimer

2023   Universal Pictures

Rated:  R

Length:  3 hr

Biography ~ Drama ~ History ~ True Story

Directed by:  Christopher Nolan

Starring:  Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Jason Clarke and Kenneth Branagh.

“Prometheus stole fire from the Gods and gave it to man. For this he was chained to a rock and tortured for eternity.”

Cillian Murphy stars as J. Robert Oppenheimer, a Theoretical Physicist in charge of The Los Alamos project and one of the pioneers of the first atomic bombs built during World War II. It follows his life and education leading up to chairing the project to create the world’s first atomic bomb, and his life and career following the first Atomic bomb test. It also chronicles his personal battles dealing with the responsibility of being the man that changed the world with an atomic weapon, and his guilt that he may have ultimately laid the foundation for the destruction of our world.

The movie starts with the 1954 security hearing orchestrated by The Atomic Energy Chairman Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr). It was a kangaroo court orchestrated by Strauss with the express purpose of destroying Oppenheimer’s reputation and credibility, mainly due to Strauss’s jealousy and paranoia regarding Oppenheimer. There is a scene where Oppenheimer is having a conversation with Albert Einstein within eyeshot of Strauss, and Strauss is convinced that Oppenheimer is bad mouthing him to Einstein. But in reality Oppenheimer was discussing with Einstein his fear that in creating the atomic bomb he might have started a chain reaction that could destroy the world.

The movie centers on the 1954 hearing and the 1959 Senate Confirmation Hearing for Strauss where it is revealed how Strauss tried to undermine Oppenheimer and his work. It flashes back and forth between the hearings and the events in Oppenheimer’s life that led up to the first atomic bomb test (which is quite impressively depicted in the movie), and the events after as he grapples with the fallout personal guilt he has. There are a lot of stories going on here and it can be a little difficult to understand and follow. Especially as it flashes back and forth to different times and events, some being in black and white.

One of the main stories of this movie is the power struggle between Oppenheimer and Strauss as Strauss seeks to undermine his influence with the Atomic Energy Commission. Christopher Nolan, the director, uses color and black and white to differentiate between the two men. The Black and white scenes are used to show Strauss’s point of view and thinking, while color was used to represent Oppenheimer’s. That alone is a fascinating viewing if you know that and view the movie with that knowledge.

There is a lot of star power in this movie:

  • Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer
  • Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer’s Wife kitty
  • Robert Downey Jr. as Atomic Energy Chairman Lewis Strauss
  • Matt Damon as US Army Colonel Leslie Groves who oversaw The Los Alamos Project
  • Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, a psychiatrist, Communist Party USA member, and Robert Oppenheimer’s romantic interest
  • Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence, a Nobel-winning nuclear physicist who worked with Oppenheimer at the University of California, Berkeley
  • Casey Affleck as Boris Pash, a US Army military intelligence officer and commander of the Alsos Mission
  • Kenneth Branagh as as Niels Bohr, a Nobel-winning Danish physicist, philosopher and Oppenheimer’s personal idol
  • Rami Malek as David L. Hill, a nuclear physicist at the Metallurgical Laboratory.
  • Jason Clarke as Roger Robb, an attorney and future US circuit judge who served as special counsel to the AEC at Oppenheimer’s security hearing.

It is a fascinating look at the man and his accomplishments, his relationships and his guilt at having orchestrated the potential demise of the world. I’ve watched it three times mainly because it took two to fully understand all the stories going on, and then a third to appreciate it with the knowledge and understanding of everything going on. It is well acted by everyone involved, and the cinematography is outstanding.

Some fun facts:

  • It grossed over 976 million worldwide, the third highest of 2023
  • It won 7 Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best supporting Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography and Best original Score
  • And 5 Golden Globe Awards
  • And 7 British Academy Awards
  • And was named one of the top ten films of 2023 by the American Film Institute

An excellent movie obviously but it is a long one coming in at three hours.

But it is a fascinating three hours.

Two Thumbs Up!!

First Man

2018   Universal Pictures

Rated:  PG-13

Length:  2 hr  21min

Biography ~ History ~ Drama ~ Adventure

Directed by:  Damien Chazelle

Starring:  Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Christopher Abbott, and Ciarán Hinds.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Ryan Gosling stars as Neil Armstrong in this first person account of his journey to become the first man on the moon. Claire Foy plays his wife Janet Armstrong. It is the riveting story of the raw early days of Space exploration and how he went from piloting the Air Force x-15, to joining the Nasa’ Gemini program, and ultimately Commanding The Apollo Mission 11 that landed on the moon.

Nasa’s goal of putting a man into space and landing on the moon took more than twenty years. It also cost the lives of dozens of pilots, crew men and astronauts in their race to beat the Soviets into space. It was a journey unknown and untested without a text or a guide book. The bravery of putting their lives at risk to accomplish the goal of being the first in space is well portrayed in the movie. As well as the effect it had on the families who were left at home to wonder if they would be coming back.

Ryan does an excellent job of portraying Neil Armstrong. You feel like you are right there with him along the journey. From being in the cockpit in the X-15 and bouncing off the atmosphere in one very bumpy ride, to being strapped into the Apollo 11 capsule on top of a rocket holding 203,400 gallons of Kerosene and another 318,000 gallons of liquid oxygen. Go ahead and light that up.

I had seen this when it first came out in 2018 and I just watched it again last night, new on Netflix. Absolutely riveting. What a journey that must have been to be the first man on the moon. Well done Neil Armstrong and Ryan Gosling!

I highly recommend this one. An important slice of our history brought to life for us to experience.

Excellent Ride!

Two thumbs Up!