‘House of Dynamite’ is explosively engaging and brazenly direct from beginning to end

By Gabriel Payne

In our modern era, we have the incredible blessing of only ever considering nuclear war as a distant, theoretical reality. The thought of everything we know and love on this earth facing utter annihilation is a completely foreign concept to the average person. But what if this horrifying possibility became reality? Kathryn Bigelow’s “House of Dynamite” answers this question with gripping realism and fiery intentionality in one of the most uniquely crafted films of the year.

The main events of the film take place during a half-hour interval in which the U.S. government has to respond to an unprovoked incoming nuclear strike. The story is told multiple times from different perspectives, which builds a refreshingly non-traditional storyflow. 

Since the film explores so many perspectives, it contains a huge ensemble cast, with heavy hitters like Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson, portraying the President of the United States and Captain Olivia Walker respectively. Elba is the closest thing that the film has to a main character, since many of his responses and thought processes are intended to reflect the general audience member. 

Even though he does not possess a majority of the screentime, his performance is dominating and he excellently conveys the turbulent atmosphere of every scene. There were no weak performances from any cast member, which is impressive considering how many significant roles there were in the film.

At first glance, the movie appears to be your typical action/thriller genre that details the beginning of a nuclear war. While this movie shares some similar components, the true focus is on people, intricately exploring the psyche of each major player in the situation, not just the actions they undertake.

The human sides of the characters are emphasized by integrating varying layers of their personal lives into the story. These details are not necessarily relevant to their role in the situation, but they create an emotional depth that is often lacking in these types of films. 

After building up each character’s emotional significance and motivations, the story examines several of the character’s reactions to the impending strike. Some characters embrace despair, others desperately cling to hope. Some are overwhelmed with grief, others become numb to any reality except the task at hand. The film uses these reactions brilliantly to build a spectrum of emotions that demonstrates the way real people deal with tragedy. 

In the face of inescapable catastrophe, there is no such thing as “according to plan.” There is only frantic scrambling and desperate scheming to minimize the damage and save what you love most.

The score, composed by Academy Award winner Volker Beltermann, is absolutely thrilling. It builds a genuinely heart pounding atmosphere with eerily suspenseful buildups and dynamic intensity. The cinematography also contributes to the thrilling nature of every scene, with the closeness and shakiness of the camera excellently matching the high adrenaline nature of the storyline.

The choice to retell the story multiple times from different perspectives, while creative, ultimately was not executed well. Within each new perspective, there is a significant amount of repeated information, tending toward redundancy as the runtime goes on. 

Each perspective does offer new insights to the story, but at points it seems marginal when compared to the repeated information. This unfortunately limits the film, as each new perspective offers less and less significance and a more subdued atmosphere.

From start to finish, this movie accomplishes exactly what it set out to do: intricately explore the minds and hearts of real people facing an unimaginable situation. It is not focused on the geopolitical details of the events, nor on flashy visuals that shock the viewer with depictions of unknowable speculations. It immerses the audience into a chaotic and desperate atmosphere with its hurried visuals and pounding score to ask a question that many don’t think to ask: What will you do with certain doom on the horizon? 

This project was enjoyable and thought provoking to watch, though slightly limited by some of its artistic choices. I would rate it an 8/10.

“House of Dynamite” is currently streaming on Netflix

Gabriel Payne is a junior Mechanical Engineering major whose greatest passion in life is glorifying the Lord, followed closely by some good soul food.

Pictures courtesy of Netflix and First Light Productions