A House of Dynamite Movie Review: Kathryn Bigelow delivers a relentless thriller where every second counts

A House of Dynamite review

‘A House of Dynamite,’ directed by Kathryn Bigelow, was released on 24th October on Netflix and stars Idris Elba, Rebecca Fergusson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, and Tracy Letts.

Relentless tension and unconventional storytelling

‘A House of Dynamite’ is a film that simply does not allow you to take a breather. The pace is relentless, and right from the very first stretch, it pulls you straight into its atmosphere.

Kathryn Bigelow employs an unconventional narrative structure, telling the story through shifting perspectives that gradually converge into a complete picture. The film imagines a terrifying scenario in which an ICBM is detected on American soil with no clarity on who launched it or why, leaving those in power scrambling to intercept the threat before it is too late.

While this approach keeps the viewer invested, the repeated vantage points sometimes feel excessive and slightly dilute the impact, as the same exchanges reappear in different forms. Even then, where the film truly finds its strength is in its examination of how individuals and institutions collide under pressure.

Racing against time

The story is set in motion when US defense systems suddenly pick up an incoming ICBM headed toward American territory, with no intelligence confirming who launched it or whether it is a deliberate strike or a misfire.

What follows is a frantic chain of command, where confusion and protocol collide, and the government is forced to make life-or-death decisions with incomplete information. The film moves back and forth between the Situation Room, radar stations, and defense desks as analysts like Olivia (Rebecca Ferguson) try to piece together fragments of data before time runs out.

POTUS (Idris Elba) is pushed into an impossible corner—to respond without certainty or wait and risk catastrophe—while Secretary of Defense Reid Baker (Jared Harris) weighs the military consequences of each option.

Crafting suspense through cinematic precision

The film maintains the pressure cooker intensity throughout its runtime without any reprieve. It never gives the viewer time to settle, and this atmosphere is further amplified by handheld camerawork and a brooding score that sits perfectly with the tone of the narrative.

Although the setting is steeped in politics and the language of national security, at its core the film is less about patriotism and more about the moral dilemmas of those trapped inside the chain of command. Kathryn Bigelow is in firm control once again, and she demonstrates that when it comes to portraying the American military and its decision-making corridors, she has no equal.

The deliberately unresolved ending only heightens the film’s thematic purpose—for a story built on uncertainty and consequence, anything tidier would feel dishonest. Bigelow places the audience inside the war room and lets them feel the suffocation of responsibility unfold in real time.

Strong ensemble performances anchor the film

‘A House of Dynamite’ also benefits from a strong ensemble. Idris Elba is in fine form as the US President, conveying authority without theatrics, and his scenes with his closest staff are among the film’s most compelling stretches.

Rebecca Ferguson, playing Olivia—the analyst tasked with identifying and averting the launch—gets a meaty role and makes the most of it. Jared Harris, as Secretary of Defense Reid Baker and the face of the Pentagon, brings a sense of weary conviction to the screen that feels completely authentic.

The strength of the ensemble lies in the fact that no character overshadows the others; the film refuses to place its weight on a single protagonist. Everyone is fully occupied with their duty, and the narrative reflects that focus.

A gripping experience

‘A House of Dynamite’ is ultimately less about warfare and more about the terrifying fragility of decision-making at the highest level. Its greatest strength lies in how it captures the paralysis of leadership when every second matters and none of the facts add up.

The downside, however, is that the repeated overlaps from multiple perspectives occasionally stretch scenes longer than needed and can make the storytelling feel circular in parts. Yet the film’s command over tone, its grounded performances, and Bigelow’s conviction in presenting a crisis without neat solutions make it a gripping experience.

It’s a tense, absorbing film that stays with you not because of what eventually happens, but because of how close everything comes to falling apart in the moments before it does.

Rating: 3.5/5