Being in positions of power requires lots of responsibility. Responsibility not everyone might know what to do with.
The end of the Cold War brought about a moment of peace, but that moment quickly ended. Today there are precautions for any incoming nuclear strike. The smallest mistake could send the world into a nuclear war, and one bogey might just do that.
Written by Hailey Passmore
Kathryn Bigelow is back! With A House of Dynamite, she invokes thought into the viewer. Current worldly affairs are unknown, and though the film is fictional, she proves a point. No one can be sure where one small mistake can change the course of history. In the world’s current climate, A House of Dynamite follows the threat of US nuclear attack and is aimed at imbuing understanding and questions in the audience. Perhaps more terrifying than recent horror films, it is the realistic elements Bigelow places within the film that emit chills in the audience.
The Cold War has ended, and an arms agreement was made. Years later, however, those rules have ended, and no one knows what will happen next. Precautions have been made across the United States government, yet perhaps not everyone knows the entirety of the plans. Everything appears to be calm as exposition sets the scene around Washington, D.C., and various other necessary military locations. The night shift has just finished, and it is time for the early teams to make their way into work, a regular day at the office. That is, until an unidentified object is found headed for somewhere in the States. All hands on deck are now required, and the relevant people are called in to make decisions they never thought they would have to or hope to make.
As various characters, locations, and small events occurred within A House of Dynamite, changing between these several locations (coming close to double digits) could have left viewers confused and lost with where they were in place and time. Writer Noah Oppenheim instead chose to craft the story in three parts. Three parts, all capturing the same 20 minutes in time, but each third of the film follows a different group of figures. Audiences are introduced to the world, and the problem develops three times. But with each reintroduction, further information comes out about who knows more and what decisions are made by each individual. Captain Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson) works in the White House base, where they respond to the knowledge delivered. The story starts with her as she leaves her family to go to work for the day. Just as expected, Ferguson is a powerhouse, and her character has all the power. The choice to begin the film with her part of the timeline was not a bad decision. We are slowly introduced to each additional character and are able to see a group of talented actors work together to present a truly horrific story. Admiral Mark Miller (Jason Clarke), Major Daniel Gonzalez (Anthony Ramos), Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Barrington (Gabriel Basso), Secretary of Defence Reid Baker (Jared Harris), General Anthony Brody (Tracy Letts), Anna the NSA’s North Korea expert (Greta Lee), and eventually the President of the United States (Idris Elba), are all seen and begin to be understood. Though they work alone, or with a few of the ensemble they are seen with onscreen, their talents are ultimately grouped together to produce the end result that is A House of Dynamite in all its tension and glory. Perhaps the darkest duo of characters set for last, their version of the story can change the viewer’s perspective entirely. We are finally privy to the face of the President and Secretary of Defence, and their characters add such a darker emotional impact once the scene is set and the choices have been made.
An ensemble team is the best way to describe the main cast of A House of Dynamite. Each member plays a pivotal role in the potential results, and they are all protagonists. Instead of giving one or two a backstory and making the rest irrelevant or static, Oppenheim provides an emotional connection for each. Typically, military and government officials are seen and represented as disciplined and stern, those in A House of Dynamite are seen as humans with real emotions too. Walker, Baker, *Greta Lee’s character, and Barrington are given families they are worried about when events start to unravel. The President is even shown how much he cares about the children. No character is alone and they overthink when it comes to making one small decision that could change everything for better or worse. This element of humanity shows how difficult it may be for these stringent people to implement choices they never thought they would have to make. Tensions rise and change depending on which actor is on screen or which setting they are in; you never know what is going to happen next or who is going to feel what. Even the pace of the film changes as settings change, and the risk becomes even greater. Though one would expect it, the momentum changes in such an intuitive way allows A House of Dynamite to present something different than usual.
Beginning simply, at the start of their day, the audience is unaware of what is yet to come. But once the events proceed in haste, these 20 minutes that unfold in almost real time become so intense you do not expect what comes next. “Hitting a bullet with a bullet”, “A house of dynamite”, all relevant to how the film unfolds within each telling of the story. Combining unsettling camera angles with an intense and passionate score, by none other than Volker Bertelmann - composer of Conclave (Berger, 2025) - further emphasizes that feeling of discomfort and panic in the viewer. You are privy to each line in the script three times, but as each time perspective changes, you hear it in a completely different way. With each delivery comes something new. A new beat in the score, a new camera angle to change how you originally felt, and especially a new emotion delivered through the screen by each actor. It is a change of pace that allows the movie to provide something new.
What A House of Dynamite emphasizes from the beginning is that the world, though it may seem like a bright place from the outside, is truly dark, mysterious, and unknown. The person with the highest position of power may appear like they know it all, when in reality, they are just as confused as the rest of us. The pressure that builds from the start, and continues to throughout should suddenly explode, and it is the unknown that is truly scary. Just as in reality, A House of Dynamite proves that we would not know what would happen next.
A House of Dynamite premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 2, 2025 and received numerous applause from the audience. Kathryn Bigelow should be proud of what she created, of the story she has shared with the world, and for stepping back into the world of cinema. Be sure to catch A House of Dynamite in cinemas, should it come near you in a limited theatrical release, or on Netflix once it drops on October 23, 2025.
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