Overview
- The film dramatizes an unattributed ICBM launched from the Pacific with Chicago identified as the target.
- An 18‑minute countdown repeats from successive vantage points, moving from an Alaskan missile base to the White House and finally the president.
- Projected casualties in the millions frame tense deliberations over responsibility and whether to order a potentially apocalyptic counterstrike.
- A highlighted vulnerability has a senior official told a $50 billion defense system works only about half the time.
- The review praises Bigelow’s precise direction and humanizing beats, with standout turns from Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Anthony Ramos, Tracy Letts, and Jared Harris.