A House of Dynamite Movie Review

A House of Dynamite (2025)

Watch A House of Dynamite on Netflix
Written by: Noah Oppenheim
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Anthony Ramos, Greta Lee, Jason Clarke, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Kaitlyn Dever
Rated: R
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Plot
When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.

Verdict
I love how believable this seems about different agencies, how they'd interact, and the potential scenarios that would play out. With a missile in the air, it's chaos. There are no good options. The most surprising aspect of this movie is that it ends before showing us what happens. While that is the point, indicating that there are no correct responses, it's disappointing because the movie builds to that moment three separate times. It begs the question what happens next. There's an expectation from the beginning that we'll see the event, and that's not met. While I enjoyed the film, I had to make an adjustment based on what this doesn't do. The second surprising aspect to this movie is that the U.S. only has one counter measure and it succeeds only 60% of the time.
It depends.

Review
A missile defense base in Alaska detects an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) that initially they anticipate will splash down in the ocean as part of a test. That is until it changes trajectory. The missile seems to be aimed at the continental U.S., and everyone is on edge. Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson) in the White House Situation room is the information center between various agencies and the President, but no one knows who launched the missile. All the countries are calling each other for information. It's a madhouse.

Rebecca Ferguson plays Olivia Walker

From the beginning, impact will occur in eighteen minutes. I wasn't sure how the movie would address that with so much runtime left. What happens is that we see the chaos from three different perspectives.

The stakes can't be higher. A missile is headed to the U.S. so the Alaskan base launches ground defense to intercept the missile. Counter measures fail. While characters continue to assure each other the situation will resolve, it's clear they doubt.

I don't know how all of these groups and agencies would interact and react, but this seems plausible. The surprising thing is the U.S. only has one counter measure. I'd assume there would be a new plan when ground defense failed, but the characters can only hope as the timer counts down. I kept thinking surely someone would come up with an idea, but desperation just increases. Protocol doesn't matter when you're staring down the barrel.

The big tease is that right as the counter approaches zero, the perspective shifts to Stratcom (U.S. Strategic Command), an underground bunker at an undisclosed location just as the missile launched. We watch the events unfold again. The events aren't much different, but we focus more on Jake (Gabriel Basso) as he reveals that ground defense only has a 60% success rate. That changes the experience of the first sequence as I was confident it would work. Where this sequence shifts is when the President (Idris Elba) is briefed on a response. If the U.S. doesn't strike preemptively they may lose the chance. Are America's adversaries reacting to America's posturing or getting ready to continue the attack? These agencies don't even know if the attack is orchestrated. Russia is adamant it wasn't them, but they request the U.S. doesn't retaliate at all. The President doesn't like not reacting to an attack on a U.S. city, but who do you attack? This sequence ends just before the President gives his order.

Idris Elba plays the President

The third sequence focuses on the President. He's alerted of a problem and then briefed. We see the other side of several conversations. The President must select a response plan from various levels of violence.

We get three segments, each ending just before the President gives an order. I suppose the point is to make us speculate, what could happen depending on his order, but without resolution this leaves the movie feeling hollow. The entire movie drives to the U.S.'s reaction. That's not presented. I don't believe the government would consider bombing countries just to make a statement without knowing who was behind the attack. Certain individuals may want that, but I don't think it would be a printed action plan.

While the final scene could provide an indication of what may have happened, people entering a nuclear hardened bunker, it just as well could be people sticking to plans without additional guidance. The movie's focus is the chaos and what unfolds at such a prospect. With such a short timer and the remaining length of the movie I was certain the movie would show the impact and what happens next. When this shifts earlier to when the missile first launched, it's a surprise. When we see two more sequences without an answer, it's disappointing. The harrowing part is that the U.S. only has one counter measure if this movie can be believed. We think we're ready for any attack, but this movie posits that we're not.