Kathryn Bigalow’s apocalyptic political thriller lays bare the futility of the nuclear deterrent in the modern world, and explores an all-too believable 18-minute, high-pressure scenario which could bring about the end of the world.

Premise: After a single intercontinental ballistic missile is launched at the US by an unknown adversary, the US military, government and intelligence agencies try to piece together what’s happened in the 18 minutes remaining before the missile reaches its destination.

Review:

This tense political thriller is told in three chapters, each one overlapping with the others to show the same 18-minute period from different perspectives. The first chapter is based in the White House Situation Room, as duty officer Captain Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson) attempts to coordinate the various governmental and military officials after the Alaskan defence base manned by Major Daniel Gonzalez (Anthony Ramos) and his team detect an unidentified incoming ICBM heading for mainland USA.

The second chapter focuses on events in the Strategic Command headquarters, where General Anthony Brady (Tracy Letts) oversees the military’s response, and in the Presidential Emergency Operations Centre underground bunker, where Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington (Gabriel Basso) and Admiral Mark Miller (Jason Clarke) begin to make preparations for the worst-case scenario. The final chapter follows events from the perspectives of the President (Idris Elba) and the Secretary of Defence (Jared Harris) as they begin to acknowledge the full horror of the situation unfolding in front of them.

“…the ensemble cast are universally great…”

The structure of the film adds to the suspense, because events and conversations that are only glimpsed in an earlier chapter are then expanded on in later chapters, adding more depth – and more jeopardy – to the escalating crisis. The ensemble cast are universally great, with each character conveying professionalism in the face of such horrifying events – with some (like Rebecca Ferguson’s character) understandably horrified by the thought that they may never see their loved ones again, others (like Gabriel Basso’s characters) are desperate to find a way to avert a deadly escalation, while other’s (like Tracy Letts’ and Jonah Hauer-King’s military characters) seem to have completely compartmentalised the emotional and empathetic parts of their brains so they can deal with the deaths of millions in a purely matter-of-fact way.

Meanwhile, the politicians are presented with arguably more dignity and integrity than we could perhaps expect in real life – with Idris Elba’s POTUS feeling the enormous weight of responsibility as he contemplates actions which could potentially end all life on Earth, while Jared Harris’s Secretary of Defence has to face the human cost of the unfolding events. A lot of the film’s tension comes from the intense pressure that the characters are put under, with the POTUS in particular having just a few minutes to make decisions that will shape the future of humanity.

“…portrays a grimly believable scenario…”

There isn’t a weak link in the cast, and it’s so packed full of talented actors that many have little more than cameos – including Greta Lee, Kaitlyn Dever, Willa Fitzgerald and Renée Elise Goldsberry – but each of them still brings something valuable to the developing crisis. The sense of mounting tension is palpable, but equally, the film does a great job (especially in the final chapter) of examining just how futile a nuclear deterrent is if you don’t know who you should retaliate against. The film feels ripped from the headlines, with mention that America has been the subject of recent cyberattacks (which may have blinded its satellites to the launch location of the missile), and that it faces a Russia that’s become emboldened by what it’s got away with previously, a North Korea that’s desperate enough to try anything, and a China that sees an opportunity to become the dominant superpower.

A House of Dynamite portrays a grimly believable scenario – and Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow steadfastly refuses to give the audience any easy answers. The ending in particular will be controversial, and it has already divided audiences … but although I was initially underwhelmed, the ending has stayed with me, and on reflection I think that any other ending would have been too simplistic, and miss the entire point that the filmmakers wanted to convey.

“…a tense, nerve-shredding political thriller with some real thought behind it…”

All in all, A House of Dynamite is about as far removed from a fun Friday night flick as it’s possible to get – but if you’re looking for a tense, nerve-shredding political thriller with some real thought behind it, then this is the movie for you.