A Review of A House of Dynamite

“A House of Dynamite”  on Netflix is a fictional thriller film that explores the possibility of nuclear warfare in the United States of America and how the government will respond. The film begins with some light exposition and music, similar to that of the “Jaws” theme. The camera work throughout the film is very similar to the style used in The Office; it features frequent zooms and shaky handheld shots. It felt odd to have such camera work in contrast with the intense music and theme. Nevertheless, the opening did a good job of setting the mood of the movie and what to expect. 

The film is made up of three parts, each going over the same eighteen minutes before the nuke lands in Chicago. The first part goes over the point of view from the White House situation room, the second is about the U.S. ‘s Strategic Commands, and the final part is of the President’s perspective. While each part of the story is unique, there are still some very repetitive parts, especially at the end. 

The two main issues I had with this movie are the overuse of the music and the women’s basketball scene with the President. The music at the start of the movie is good, but by the middle, it gets overused. Having heard the same soundtrack over and over again, and it loses all of its power over the audience, becoming more of a distraction than actually bringing the audience into the movie. 

The second issue is the scene where the President visits a woman’s basketball game before he finds out a nuke is being dropped on Chicago. This scene is quite possibly one of the worst scenes I have ever had to endure, up there with the Skylar White birthday song from “Breaking Bad.” I almost cannot describe it in words. I actually skipped over this scene on my first watch because I just could not bear it. To start, there is essentially no one in the audience. The whole crowd feels so empty, and it is glaringly obvious. I understand that budgeting constraints might stop the studio from hiring enough people to fill the stadium, but then just don’t do the scene. On top of this, the scene is so unnecessary, adding virtually nothing to the plot, especially considering how long it is. The dynamic between the basketball players, the audience, the Secret Service, and the President is so uncomfortable, and there is nearly no enthusiasm from any side. 

Aside from these two issues, the film was good, up until the very end when I came to understand the true purpose of this film. Throughout the entire movie, I was waiting for the nuke to drop, to see what the President’s response is, and to see how everything falls out (no pun intended), but it never happens. The nuke never lands, the President never makes a decision on whether to counterattack or hold off, and the audience is left with an incomplete story, lacking any climax. It was at this moment that I realized that was not the point of this film; the story being built was not intended for the audience’s satisfaction; it was a warning. Throughout the film, a variety of elected officials have to make decisions that could either save or kill millions of people, such as the President, who ultimately gets to decide whether to retaliate or not. Making that decision is not easy in the slightest, and the President could make the difference as to whether or not World War III starts. This also goes for the Secretary of Defense, who, in this film, jumps off a building, taking his own life, because of the stress. It reminds us to pick our elected officials carefully and that we need to acknowledge that the decisions they make can have unbelievably profound consequences.