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4h ago

Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘A House of Dynamite’ Hits Netflix Oct. 24 as Realism Wins Fans and Rewound Structure Draws Fire

Bigelow says she shaped the real-time thriller to prompt conversation about nuclear weapons, including the president’s sole authority to order retaliation.

Kathryn Bigelow has "opened enormous doors," Rebecca Ferguson says.
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Overview

  • The film envisions U.S. officials racing through an 18–20 minute window to respond to a missile projected to strike Chicago, with action unfolding in the Situation Room and at STRATCOM.
  • Bigelow and screenwriter Noah Oppenheim consulted several current and former military officials to inform procedures and crisis decision-making depicted on screen.
  • Idris Elba plays the president weighing response options, with Rebecca Ferguson as Captain Olivia Walker, a senior Situation Room officer managing communications under extreme pressure.
  • Reviews highlight a structure that repeatedly rewinds events from multiple viewpoints, with The Globe and Mail calling the device frustrating and the film a “tremendously disappointing” effort.
  • Elba and Ferguson describe the movie as a conversation starter on nuclear risk, and the cast recalls a lengthy Venice ovation ahead of the Netflix release on Oct. 24.