Netflix’s latest thriller A House of Dynamite, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, has left audiences split. The movie follows 18 minutes of rising nuclear tension shown from three perspectives — the White House Situation Room, U.S. Strategic Command, and the President himself.
Bigelow, known for Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker, keeps the identity of the person behind the missile attack a mystery. She told Netflix’s Tudum that the film highlights how dangerously close humanity is to triggering a nuclear disaster.
The film ends on an open note, as President Idris Elba faces a moral choice — allow a missile to strike Chicago to prevent a larger war or retaliate. The explosion is never shown, leaving viewers questioning the outcome.
Bigelow said she wanted audiences to “start a conversation” about nuclear risk, calling the film a “house of dynamite” that reflects global instability.
While critics gave the movie a solid 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, viewers on social media expressed frustration over the repetitive scenes and abrupt ending. One X user wrote, “Nobody wants to hear the same story three times and have it end without an end.”
Another viewer added, “I was glued to the TV, then that ending ruined everything.” Meanwhile, Reddit discussions echoed mixed feelings — some praised the tension, others called it “unfinished.”
Despite criticism, The Independent reviewer Geoffrey Macnab hailed it as “the most entertaining film about mass destruction since Dr. Strangelove.”
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