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.