“A House of Dynamite” Review: This Is Fine
by Ken Jones, Chief Film Critic
A House of Dynamite is the latest film from Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow. It has been described as sobering and eye-opening while being compared to a classic film about nuclear missile attack, Sidney Lumet’s 1964 Fail Safe (In my case, writing this review has opened my eyes to the realization that I have apparently never seen Fail Safe and will need to rectify that soon).
This ensemble film depicts the national military response, in near real-time, to an impending single nuclear missile of unknown origin rocketing toward somewhere in the United States. It is told in three chapters of expanding perspectives of the crisis, with each re-telling of the event moving higher up the chain of command and filling in some additional details that are hinted at earlier.
The first chapter, “Inclination Is Flattening”, is from the Alaskan military post that first picks up the missile and tracks it, as well as the White House situation room. The second chapter, “Hitting a Bullet with a Bullet”, of the events shows STRATCOM’s reaction in more detail, as well as an NSA adviser and B-2 bombers scrambled for possible retaliation. Finally, in “A House Full of Dynamite”, we are given the unfolding of events from the perspective of the President of the United States, his Secretary of Defense, and the presidential military aide with the nuclear playbook.
With each perspective of the events, more information is revealed and things that were heard and not completely comprehended earlier in the film are given fuller context. One particularly jarring moment is a moment of chaos and shocked yells that are overheard on the phone while the president is on another line making an important decision. What happens is later revealed.
A lot of the portrayals of reactions to the impending strike ring as true, people trained to handle themselves in these situations still struggle to keep their cool in the moment while others put on the brave face for others to project the level of calm that their team needs to see. Military men stress the need for a decision to be made with a rapidly approaching deadline while analysts provide insights they can and pushback if necessary.
It’s a true ensemble piece too. Rebecca Ferguson and Anthony Ramos headline the first chapter, Gabriel Basso and Tracy Letts carry a lot of the second chapter, and Idris Elba and Jared Harris are most prominently featured in the last chapter. Some, like Letts, Basso, and Harris, weave in and out of the other chapters, mainly on TV screen during group calls, as do other actors like Jason Clarke, Greta Lee, and Moses Ingram and quite a few faces that people who watch Netflix-produced shows should recognize.
This film feels like a departure of sorts for Bigelow, a director primarily known for her action chops and tense thriller. This is definitely a thriller, but much more dialogue-heavy and characters reacting to what they are seeing and the news they are receiving. While the film gives some explanations on the screen of what certain locations and rooms are, it does not hold the viewers hand when it comes to the military and governmental jargon that it throws around, which I think adds to the disorienting and chaotic feel of the film for the viewer.
The film does not really delve too much into the political realm, choosing instead to let the situation speak for itself. I think that is a credit to the film. It is not preaching overtly, but it is intended to point out that, as one character explains, the nuclear-armed nations have built their houses with dynamite and somehow are walking around in them like everything is normal. Basically, the movie is the meme of the dog sitting in the burning house saying to himself, “This is fine!” come to life.
If there is a clarifying, sobering, thematic raison d’etre for this film, it is the reaction of the Secretary of State when he is told their odds of shooting down the missile with another missile. The air defense system sends two missiles after the one head toward American soil, and there is a 61% chance one of them will strike the missile and save the day. The Secretary of State, apoplectic, yells, “So it's a f***ing coin toss? This is what we get for fifty billion dollars?”
I normally do not talk about the endings of films, but the end of this may rankle some; however, I found it to be effective. Everything is not wrapped up in a tidy bow when the credits start to roll. It may be an unsatisfactory ending to some, but the purpose of the conclusion is to have people reflect on what transpired and this is a movie that is depicting a potential real-life scenario, pointing out the flaws inherent in the system. It’s intended to give us pause.
I do not know how realistic the scenario is that is set up A House of Dynamite, but if it is at all remotely plausible, it should be a sobering viewing experience for many. It throws the viewer into the deep end with the jargon-heavy script, and manages to maintain an apolitical viewpoint while presenting a case that should be bipartisan. A House of Dynamite is a good cautionary tale thriller. Now, I need to watch Fail Safe.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars