Overview
- Netflix reports 22.1 million views in the first three days, placing the film at number one globally.
- The narrative uses a tight, multi-perspective timeline around an unattributed missile launch, with the attacker left intentionally unclear by director Kathryn Bigelow.
- New opinion pieces challenge depictions of U.S. nuclear command behavior, Secret Service procedures, and interceptor performance as unrealistic.
- The Pentagon’s missile-defense claims and success rates cited in coverage face pushback from filmmakers and independent analysts, keeping the film’s realism under scrutiny.
- Commentators offer speculative readings on responsibility and policy lessons, including arguments for stronger defenses and a Russia-as-culprit hypothesis presented as the author’s view.