An intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, can reach anywhere in the world in just thirty minutes. But in Kathryn Bigelow’s new movie “A House of Dynamite,” the United States only has 18 minutes to respond. Directed by Oscar-winning Kathryn Bigelow and starring Idris Elba, among many others. The many branches of the U.S government must work together to stop an incoming missile and solve the mystery of who sent it. Set in the current year (2025), this movie acts as a warning of what may be to come.
In “A House of Dynamite,” director Bigelow manages to turn the 18 minutes after a missile launch into a race against time. Many of the United States’ leaders and agencies must work together to prevent nuclear annihilation. Starring Idris Elba as “POTUS” or president of the United States, Bigelow creates a film that shows pressure, fear and the tough choices that one must make during a crisis. The three-act movie keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat, even if the story gets repetitive toward the end.
As an average movie lover, I was thrilled when I heard about a new political thriller on Netflix, “A House of Dynamite”. The premise of nuclear warfare and mutually assured destruction felt like a reminder of the current state of the world, and the three premises would allow the same story to be told from many different perspectives, allowing it to connect with a larger audience. However, after watching the film, it left much to be desired.
First, the major positive, the first act plays out perfectly, the story feels fresh and new updates shake the watcher’s perception, and keep the audience on the edge of their seat. Rebecca Ferguson delivered an exceptional performance as head of the white house situation room. Her pure emotion mixed with her love for her family left me and many others touched. Her character displayed courage, and the audience held their breath when the missile hit.
Unfortunately, that is where the positives end; the second and third acts feel stale and repetitive. The story takes place in an array of command centers with large TVs. This causes much of the story to be revealed in the first act. Each act reveals slightly more of what was hidden behind the screens, but it doesn’t add new, meaningful developments. Each twist is the same, and by the third act, the watcher knows what is about to happen. Overall, the story itself is good. But Bigelow failed to deliver the differences in the second and third acts, making it feel like watching the same episode three times.
But overall, it still manages to grab your attention even if it is fundamentally flawed. Whether you’re looking for a quick thriller or want to watch a possible mirror of the world, this is a good film, even if you only need to watch the first half.
Similarly, the settings followed the basic command center assumption. This meant that most of the scenes followed people in chairs curved around an assortment of large TV screens. This is also a reflection of poor shot design. The cinematographer used shaky shots in many of the scenes. Mirroring other shows such as “The Office”, but whereas it fits the other shows ‘unprofessional premise, this was a high-budget production, and it made each scene feel incomplete and cheap. Finally, the Zoom-style call was a good way to connect the different branches of the government. But it felt lazy, whereas when Jake Barringinton of the NSA directly calls foreign governments, it feels genuine.
Similarly, the side plots left much to be desired, whether it was Greta Lee playing Anna Park, the NSA’s top North Korean expert, or Kyle Allen acting as Captain John Zimmer. Who was responsible for deploying the possible retaliatory strike, or even Moses Ingram as an official in FEMA Cathay Rodgers. Each side plot adds little to the story and feels like an attempt to lengthen the movie. While they do provide insights into different positions and their reactions to imminent danger, whether it involves evacuating and leaving the rest of her team behind, Zimmer mentally prepares himself for the possibility that he may bomb another country. T lacks widespread coverage of what the public or even specific departments are feeling. By focusing on a select group of characters but not giving them much time, it places them in a liminal space where each character is given a brief rundown but cut short before any meaningful growth or changes can be made.
Finally, the ending itself left much to be desired, after the clock had already reached zero twice before, and all of the tension that had been building was about to come to an end. What will the president do, how will he retaliate, what will happen to the nuked city of Chicago?. A scene of buses driving to a bunker plays, and the soft sound of a missile can be heard. The clock finally reaches zero for a third time, and as soon as all is about to be revealed, the screen fades to black and the credits roll. No extra sounds of the bombs hitting, no extra credit scenes, a complete cliffhanger. Bigelow states this was a statement and reflection of the current state of the world, and that she wanted the viewer to decide. But for the average person, this felt like a letdown, all of the suspense built up for almost two hours, only for nothing to happen. Many other movie reviewers described it as the film’s biggest letdown. Similarly, the poor set design and the use of a Zoom call felt like a cheap and sloppy way to end it, and this shows a pattern of cutting corners in recent releases in an attempt to shorten production and keep costs down. In conclusion, it felt like a cheap letdown to a beautifully crafted story.
