Kathryn Bigalow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty) directs Noah Oppenheim’s script about a missile launched at the U.S.—but by whom and why? Told from three different perspectives, the story depicts the various governmental elements scrambling to determine how to respond. As political drama goes, it’s gripping and feels all-too plausible.
A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE
What’s it rated? R
When? 2025
Where’s it showing? Netflix
The film opens in Washington, D.C., and Capt. Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson), the senior officer in the White House Situation Room, learns a missile is in route, so she initiates a video conference with the Pentagon and president (Idris Elba).
In another segment set at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, STRATCOM Cmdr. Gen. Anthony Bradley (Tracy Letts) scrambles B-2 bombers to retaliate and begins trying to figure out who launched the missile. China, Russia, North Korea? They’re in the dark.
The third segment examines the president’s struggle as he tries to respond accordingly with scant information. The wrong reaction risks all-out nuclear war.
Bigalow is masterful at depicting barely contained tension, and Oppenheim’s script keeps ratcheting up the intensity. If you’re expecting closure, you’ll be disappointed. There are no winners in a global conflict, and diplomacy, not war, leads to peace. (112 min.) ∆
This article appears in Holiday Guide 2025.