Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow delivers a grim portrait of what would happen if a nuclear attack was made against the United States. A House of Dynamite fires off harsh language with rapidity, and there’s a partially depicted suicide. This Netflix pic’s dour tone and heavy subject matter are best left to mature audiences.
Someone has launched a missile at the United States.
It might have been North Korea. Or Russia. Or another disgruntled country with a nuclear arsenal.
Determining the culprit is important, but not as important as stopping the incoming warhead from reaching its target:
Chicago, Illinois. Time to impact: 19 minutes. Casualty estimate: 10 million.
The United States government springs into action, enacting a long line of procedures set in place in case of a nuclear attack. The president and other top-ranking government officials monitor the situation and plan a response. The Federal Emergency Management Agency prepares disaster coordination. Designated federal employees are evacuated.
Most crucial of all, the military base at Fort Greely, Alaska, readies ballistic countermeasures—America’s last line of defense against a missile strike. If they are successful, the oncoming nuke will be vaporized in the atmosphere and millions of lives will be saved.
The order is given. Fort Greely fires interceptor missiles at the warhead …
The missiles fail to neutralize the weapon.
Now, the president and his advisors face a much bleaker reality: There is nothing that can be done to stop the missile. Unless the bomb miraculously fails to detonate, Chicago will be incinerated by a nuclear blast in a matter of minutes.
All that remains is to decide how to respond to this unprecedented attack.
Will the United States accept the devastation and refrain from retaliation, preserving peace at the risk of ultimate destruction? Or will they lash out with their own armament, striking back at their enemies with the potential to unleash a global thermonuclear war?
It’s a decision that rests with one man. A man who has just heard the most terrifying words of his life:
“Your orders, Mr. President.”
A House of Dynamite highlights several people who work diligently to preserve innocent lives—and, regardless of outcome, these individuals perform their jobs to the best of their abilities.
Captain Olivia Walker, who manages the White House Situation Room, is a steadying presence for her subordinates, even under extreme duress. We also see the love she has for her husband and young son.
Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington promotes communication and advises restraint over retaliation in the face of the missile attack. The president seems (at least, initially) to lean in that direction to reduce potential bloodshed. Characters communicate their love for family members. A man talks about the “33 great years” he had with his wife before her passing.
A soldier makes the Sign of the Cross and prays to God. When another man asks him if God gave an answer regarding their desperate situation, the soldier says that he “wasn’t looking for one.”
Someone says that he hasn’t been to church for a while. A general makes a sarcastic remark about prayer. A female character wears a hijab.
A shirtless soldier floats in the ocean. Another says he is on his third marriage. Someone mentions a prenuptial agreement. A young woman tells her father that she is in a serious relationship with her boyfriend (and it seems they might be living together).
A man kills himself. (We are not shown anything more than the man plunging off the edge of a rooftop.)
Aside from that particular scene, the violence within A House of Dynamite is only referenced: There is a threat of impending doom. We’re told that when the nuclear missile hits Chicago, it will instantly result in 10 million deaths. The film juxtaposes this against the Battle of Gettysburg, which saw 50,000 deaths over the course of three days.
Government officials discuss retaliatory strikes, which will result in more bloodshed. A few people compare the use of nuclear weapons to suicide. Someone says that the stockpiling of nuclear weapons is akin to building “a house filled with dynamite.”
Cannons fire harmlessly during a Civil War reenactment.
Nearly 40 f-words and 20 s-words are used throughout the film. God’s name is misused nine times, frequently paired with “d–n.” Jesus’ name is abused seven times. We hear additional uses of “d–n,” “h—,” “a–” and “p-ss.”
We hear that a man is administered a general anesthetic for a routine medical procedure.
A soldier vomits. Someone says that every president he has served under was a “chronically late” narcissist. Another person talks about not wanting “to be caught with our pants down.”
In Netflix’s A House of Dynamite, director Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty) presents a chilling, high stakes scenario stuffed to the brim with strong performances and complex questions. Characters present differing opinions on how to respond to an unprecedented nuclear attack. Each argument is compelling. Each comes with disastrous consequences.
And the film isn’t interested in providing definitive answers. Because, as A House of Dynamite seems to say, what answers are there in a situation like this?
“In the nuclear world, the true enemy is war itself.”
That’s not a line from this film but the 1995 thriller Crimson Tide. The quote would serve nicely as the thesis statement for A House of Dynamite. But, in this film, the nuclear crisis is not averted at the last minute. It’s a grim portrayal of a weighty topic. Call it Dr. Strangelove without the satirical bite.
A House of Dynamite may be gripping, but it’s not a satisfying film: It’s not intended to be. Bigelow wants to make us think, to be confronted with our shared nuclear conundrum.
Aside from language and one partially depicted suicide, there are not a lot of gratuitous content issues found in A House of Dynamite. But the heavy subject matter and grim portrait painted in this tense film will likely have families running for shelter.
Bret loves a good story—be it a movie, show, or video game—and enjoys geeking out about things like plot and story structure. He has a blast reading and writing fiction and has penned several short stories and screenplays. He and his wife love to kayak the many beautiful Colorado lakes with their dog.
