Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite is a harrowing return to one of the most terrifying and avoided subjects in the film industry: nuclear war. The film is focused on capturing the chaotic uncertainty and moral paralysis of the chilling narrative with realism. And it’s safe to say that the film has done the same beautifully, earning comparisons to Dr. Strangelove and Fail-Safe. However, the film doesn’t just explore the unthinkable it does so, with nerve shredding seriousness.
A House of Dynamite is the story of a nuclear crisis
The film’s core narrative unfolds over an 18-minute period, the estimated time between the launch of the nuclear missile from the Pacific and its projected impact on Chicago. The sequence is replayed from multiple perspectives, making the next more terrifying than the previous. As the military personnel and civilian officials scramble in high-security locations like the PEOC (Presidential Emergency Operations Centre), all framed within control rooms, vast monitors, and emergency communication grids.
