Review by Jon Donnis
Kathryn Bigelow's A House of Dynamite sets out to explore the nightmare scenario of a nuclear missile threatening the United States, presenting the story through three overlapping perspectives: Capt. Olivia Walker in Washington, the military generals at STRATCOM, and the President himself. Each segment covers roughly the same thirty minutes of escalating crisis, creating a structure that, in theory, promises a fresh take on political thrillers. It's an intriguing approach, letting audiences see the mounting tension from multiple vantage points, but in practice, it feels like the film struggles to fully commit to its own narrative ambition.
The first third, Inclination Is Flattening, situates viewers in the White House Situation Room with Rebecca Ferguson's Capt. Olivia Walker. Ferguson brings credibility to her role as an officer tasked with making life-and-death decisions in real time, balancing calm authority with the human vulnerability of someone watching the clock tick down on a city. Moments like her phone call to her family humanise the stakes, reminding viewers that behind government protocol are individuals with personal lives on the line.
The second part, Hitting a Bullet With a Bullet, shifts focus to STRATCOM, led by Jared Harris as Secretary of Defense Reid Baker and Tracy Letts as General Anthony Brady. This segment emphasises military precision and the frantic attempts to identify the missile's origin. Gabriel Basso's Jake Baerington serves as a moral and procedural compass, urging caution in the face of incomplete intelligence. These scenes are tense and methodical, highlighting how military and diplomatic considerations collide when nuclear escalation looms. The interplay with Russia's foreign minister and the scramble of B-2 bombers adds realism, and Bigelow captures the meticulous calculations and near-misses that define such high-stakes decision-making.
Finally, A House Filled With Dynamite examines the President's perspective as Idris Elba navigates evacuation, familial concern, and the unbearable weight of a potential nuclear strike. Anthony Ramos' portrayal of Major Daniel Gonzalez at Fort Greely adds another layer, showing the human cost of technical failure when interceptors fail to launch. This segment is emotionally charged, particularly in the subplot of Secretary Baker trying to save his daughter. The President's indecision over retaliation leaves the narrative unresolved, which is meant to underscore the moral ambiguity and pressure inherent in such decisions, but instead results in a frustrating anticlimax.
The performances are consistently strong. Ferguson, Elba, and Basso carry the film with convincing authority and subtle emotional depth, while Harris, Letts, and Ramos provide strong support. Their portrayals lend credibility to the story even when the film itself struggles with pacing and scope.
However, the production has clear limitations. The film looks and feels like a TV miniseries squeezed into 90 minutes. Some of the tension is undercut by low-budget visuals and staging that don't match the gravity of the narrative. The narrative structure, while innovative, sometimes feels repetitive, as the overlapping perspectives cover similar ground without adding sufficient new information. And the decision to withhold the President's ultimate choice leaves viewers dissatisfied, as the film ends without resolution, undermining the suspense built across three perspectives.
A House of Dynamite is a film of contrasts: a fascinating premise undermined by uneven execution, a talented cast navigating a plot that never quite delivers on its promise, and a structure that is ambitious in design but frustrating in practice. The moral, procedural, and human stakes are all present and often compelling, but the anticlimactic ending and TV-like production ensure the experience remains unfulfilling. For all its effort and occasional brilliance in character moments, it is an instantly forgettable film. I score it 4 out of 10.
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