“A House of Dynamite” Review
Director: Kathryn Bigelow Screenwriter: Noah Oppenheim Cast: Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, Jason Clarke Distributor: Netflix Running Time: 112 min. MPAA: R
Where were you when the world ended? Kathryn Bigelow’s intensely directed A House of Dynamite explores this somber question. Using multiple perspectives of those in power, she highlights what goes through the minds of American authorities when a nuclear warhead cannot be stopped. Rather than indulge in an explosive finale and grim aftermath, her film is all about fears of the ticking clock, making for a movie that serves as a warning for being constantly active and with no certainty of where this will all go next.
There are only a few moments of peace before the warhead launches, and the clock starts ticking for when it will hit Chicago. We see Captain Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson) tending to her sick son before heading into work. She brings one of his toys as a reminder of what she’s fighting for, but don’t expect a heartfelt monologue. There’ll be little time for that when trying to organize and coordinate a defense for the nuke and communication with international forces. Don’t worry if you don’t catch everything. While the script by Noah Oppenheim is rich with procedures, the film’s quick typography will get the facts out quickly so you’re not furiously darting to Wikipedia to figure out what STRATCOM stands for.
Human nature peeks through all the fast-talking, running, calling, and ordering. Secretary of Defense Reid Baker (Jared Harris) struggles to patch things up with his estranged daughter. At the same time, Fort Greely commander Daniel Gonzalez (Anthony Ramos) has a heated conversation on the phone with the woman he loves before identifying the missile from his base. Most of the film centers around the nuts and bolts of stopping this threat, projecting just enough confidence that life will go back to normal if there is a successful interception. It’s only once those procedures fail that the life starts to drain from everybody’s face, as they soldier on for the inevitable destruction of Chicago and the nuclear war that will follow.
One of the most notable performances is from Idris Elba in the role of POTUS. Throughout the film, he’s built up as a blank screen and uncertain voice, only to be revealed as an emotionally concerned man about to make the most difficult decision any human can make. Doubt surrounds him as much as the grim choices he is offered, and there’s almost a desperation for some resemblance of normalcy, the way he makes a passive comment while getting his codes out. By building him up over an hour into the film, it’s a sobering moment after all the existential dread; there’s still some room at the top to feel like all is lost.
The film brilliantly engages and challenges the viewer by proceeding through the missile’s trajectory three times and with a somewhat ambiguous ending. We’re let in on where this story is going from the varied views, but we still have no idea what the end result will be. That abrupt nature makes the thrilling aspects so challenging, forcing us to live in the moment rather than hunker in bunkers or speculate on radioactive fallout once the nuke hits. Those are questions for tomorrow. Today is where General Anthony Brady (Tracy Letts) gambles with lives when discussing retaliation, and FEMA official Cathy Rogers (Moses Ingram) will experience how helpless she can be when whisked away by security amid the threat. This is not a Tom Clancy thriller where the mechanics drown out the characters. The moments of despair every character faces ramp up the tension higher than the ticking clock, as though they can hear the foreboding soundtrack booming in the distance.
A House of Dynamite is a gripping thriller that focuses more on the lit fuse than the inevitable explosion, savoring the tension and humanity. The bold choice in framing the events and characters mostly pays off, with some strong performances and a thematically rich contemplation of what will happen when a nuclear bomb hits America. Some films might speculate on who will attack first or how America will move on with a country demolished by missiles and radiation. Those ideas are left to fester when watching this film because that might not matter when the end looms. Grounding the film in that reality, stressed by General Brady during the President’s ultimate decision, makes it feel like a scenario that will happen tomorrow, without telling what will happen after. It’s that unknown future that makes this premise far more chilling than a mere routine warning of nuclear annihilation.
