The conversations A House of Dynamite will surely spark may inevitably be more important in the long run than the movie itself. That’s not to diminish the film’s many accomplishments; I just wanted to emphasize upfront how much here is about debate rather than plot mechanics. A triptych directed by Kathryn Bigelow — as much of an expert on making films about military procedure as there has ever been (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty) — the fictional, but well-researched Dynamite shows us what the reaction to a nuclear attack within the continental United States might be, gradually going up each level of the chain of command.
As you might expect, the film is almost unbearably tense. The few breaks in the tension often only serve to make us more anxious, as various officials find clandestine time to call their loved ones and warn them of what could be coming. We start in The Situation Room, where Captain Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson) is tasked with gathering information, delegating, and communicating the decision-making regarding an incoming missile from North Korea, headed for Chicago. We then go up the chain to General Anthony Brody (Tracy Letts), whose job it is to inform the President (Idris Elba) and Secretary of Defense Reid Baker (Jared Harris) of all available intelligence and all available options for response. By the time we focus exclusively on the President’s experience of these events, we deeply feel that ultimate dilemma, which he describes as a “diner menu” of options.
Each section ends at about the same spot in the timeline of events, leaving us with a bookmark every time, and certain questions unanswered. Not having known about this structure going in, I was slightly disappointed to feel jarred out of the first act, in which we learn the main facts of the situation and the most of any act about the personal lives of those involved. But like anyone in this line of work, the movie can’t afford to be overly sentimental. There is a job to do, which we are made painfully aware of as Bigelow consistently finds new ways to keep time and the consequences of delay in our minds. The countdown isn’t just shown on screens, it’s part of the way this film breathes (or doesn’t, at points). An especially shocking moment — which would be shocking even if there wasn’t a missile inbound — is designed very matter-of-factly by Bigelow and editor Kirk Baxter, which made it so impactful that it literally made me loudly gasp and jump, which is a tall order for a lifelong horror fan like me.
Some viewers may be disappointed in Dynamite’s third act, and the post-film debates may extend beyond “what would your response be?” and become more about comparing the fictional administration depicted to our current mercurial administration. Art is a subjective experience, of course, but this film is very much the definition of subjective. In that way, despite some minor issues I have with it which would be spoilers if I divulged them here, Dynamite does what Bigelow does at her best. It doesn’t glorify anyone, it doesn’t condemn anyone. It asks you the questions, because no one has all the answers to this kind of impossible quandary. | George Napper
