A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE – Well Intentioned and Tense, But an Unfortunate Dud!

A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE is directed by Kathryn Bigelow. The film stars Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, and Jason Clarke.

A nuclear missile has been launched from an unidentified location. In military bases, FEMA installations, and even the halls of the White House, individuals ranging from the President to the Secretary of Defense and other advisors and military personnel scramble to stop the weapon from striking Chicago, where it could kill millions. Who is responsible for this attack, and will the President order a retaliatory strike based on speculation alone?

Kathryn Bigelow is the first woman in history to win the Academy Award for Best Director, having achieved this award for her work on the 2008 war film, THE HURT LOCKER. Her filmography also includes movies like the original POINT BREAK and K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER, giving her a diverse and impressive filmography. Upon hearing Bigelow would be directing a political thriller regarding a potential nuclear strike on American soil, this critic knew there was no one more perfect for such subject matter. A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE succeeds in creating a realistic and tense tone with people under duress in the most extreme of circumstances; throughout the movie it truly does feel like a stick of dynamite waiting to go off… and unfortunately it never does, with a slogging narrative structure that repeats events three times… and literally does nothing after this. After you finish watching A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE, you’ll truly feel robbed of two hours of your life, as the film builds up to absolutely nothing.

The movie scores points for its tone and tenseness. Kathryn Bigelow knows how to create an uncertain and unsettling atmosphere, and she does this exceptionally well in A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE. The film shows this conflict in the making from many different angles, with personnel juggling their home and personal lives with their governmental duties, from FEMA workers, to military personnel, to White House staffers. Casting is top notch, including Anthony Ramos as an individual leading an Alaskan military installation, and Idris Elba as the President of the United States.

But the end results are ultimately disappointing. The movie is split into three acts, and each forces us to endure the same time/series of events from slightly different perspectives. None of the different acts reveal any additional pertinent information. Further adding insult to injury is the movie doesn’t make it obvious this gimmick is being utilized; I was halfway through the movie before I realized this was the narrative structure at hand. After enduring these events three times (effectively tense but frustratingly repetitive), this critic couldn’t wait to see the aftermath of the nuclear strike the film utilizes, getting answers to the questions the film poses.

And the movie just ended.

No look at the aftermath of the nuclear strike. No questions about the President’s choice of potential retaliatory actions. No answers regarding who launched the weapon in question. No conspiracies or plot twists. These are not spoilers because there’s literally nothing to spoil. Some movies work quite well with an ambiguous ending (APOCALYPSE NOW, one of my all-time favorites, being a prime example), but buildup doesn’t work unless the building up leads to something. To quote Bart Simpson from one of THE SIMPSONS’ classic Halloween specials, “Do you know what would’ve been better than nothing? ANYTHING!”

The buildup in A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE is tense, with the contents under pressure from start to finish, but someone forgot to light the fuse. An effectively tense and uncertain atmosphere is unfortunately undermined by the fact that the filmmakers simply stopped making the movie. As a result, the buildup is all for naught, undermining what elements of the film actually work. Kathryn Bigelow is an amazing director, and A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE is a rare misfire. I give credit for the direction, the casting, the production value, and the tone throughout the film… but this one ultimately gets a thumbs down for failing to answer a single question it poses, and forcing us to endure the same events three times with no additional revelations. Skip it.