Film Review: A House of Dynamite

What kind of film leaves you breathless even when you already know how it ends? A House of Dynamite is that kind of film, Kathryn Bigelow’s majestic return to the political thriller genre she knows better than almost anyone.

Bigelow has always excelled at capturing the intensity of high-stakes decision-making. Zero Dark Thirty traced the hunt for Osama Bin Laden through the eyes of a relentless CIA analyst, while The Hurt Locker followed a bomb disposal expert whose addiction to adrenaline made war feel like home. That film earned Bigelow her historic Best Director Oscar, the first ever for a woman, beating her ex-husband James Cameron’s Avatar in the process.

Eight years after her last feature, Bigelow returns with a story that feels both urgent and universal. A House of Dynamite unfolds within a single 19-minute window. Why? Because this is the estimated time between a mysterious nuclear launch being detected in the Pacific and its projected impact in Chicago. The film repeats those same 19 minutes from multiple perspectives: government officials, soldiers, analysts, and field operatives all trying to decide what to do when there’s no time to think.

The concept may sound like an experiment, but in Bigelow’s hands it becomes an exercise in pure tension. The uncertainty (who launched the missile, whether it’s real, and how to respond) is suffocating. It recalls Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, only stripped of its dark humour and replaced by a terrifying realism.

Most of the story unfolds in confined rooms and over video calls, yet the film never feels static. Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd, who previously worked with Bigelow on The Hurt Locker, shoots in a documentary style, with handheld framing that feels spontaneous but never chaotic. The camera peers around chairs, through glass panels, or over shoulders, giving the sense that we’re intruding on real moments of panic and vulnerability.

The cast is equally impressive. Rebecca Ferguson leads as Captain Olivia Walker, commanding the screen in her limited segment, joined by Tracy Letts, Idris Elba, and Jared Harris, each inhabiting their respective 19-minute chapters with precision and gravitas. Even with such brief appearances, Bigelow manages to extract career-best work from them all.

What’s remarkable is that even after the first cycle reveals everything we need to know, the tension doesn’t fade. The editing, pacing and sound design keep the second and third cycles just as gripping, each new angle revealing another moral or emotional fracture in the decision-making chain.

It’s an extraordinary piece of filmmaking, meticulously structured, superbly acted and technically flawless. While none of the cast will likely compete in lead categories due to limited screen time, the film’s editing, cinematography and direction are easily among the year’s best.

A House of Dynamite proves that Bigelow hasn’t lost her edge. In fact, she’s sharper than ever. It’s a masterclass in storytelling discipline and emotional restraint making this one of the most immersive thrillers of the decade so far.

This one’s absolutely ‘worth the ticket price’, even though it’s on Netflix. Well done to them for snapping up yet another quality production this year.