A House of Dynamite Review: To Rise and Explode Akin to a Nuclear Bomb.
By Finnian McCarney
To me, film is much more than just a simplistic collection of moving images and sounds; it is a vital platform for conveying human emotion and messaging. So, when someone as influential as Kathryn Bigelow – the mind behind films such as Zero Dark Thirty, Detroit and the Oscar Best Picture winner of 2009, The Hurt Locker – announced her return, I knew I had to catch the earliest screening possible.
Bigelow is the first woman to ever win an Oscar for directing The Hurt Locker, a monumental task considering directing in Hollywood is a field dominated by men. Alongside a cast including Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson and Gretta Lee, the expectations for Kathryn Bigelow’s return after 8 years were high.
The plot centres around an unknown ICBM which was unexpectedly launched from the Pacific, heading directly to the American Midwest in the span of 15 minutes. With this, we follow the lives of insider Washington officials, spanning from reporters, all the way to the POTUS himself. We watch them discern how to stop this nuke, how to respond, and figure out where the nuke actually came from. The plot is inherently explosive; however, this film lives and dies by this story and how it is told. While it is certainly executed well, the film’s fuse of excitement and tension is put out suddenly.
I am a glass-half-full man, so let’s focus on the positives first. Surprisingly enough, engaging and intense are the two words which enter my head upon thinking of this film. Despite it being 8 years since her last directorial film, “Detroit”, Bigelow has not lost her skills, with this film being a captivating force throughout. Right through this nuclear event, the acting is in full force, from Rebecca Ferguson’s calculated yet dread-filled display of hopelessness to Idris Elba’s paranoia and guilt. These standout performances make clear why the film deserves its unique format.
Additionally, the structure and writing are strong, as the film is 2 hours long despite the nuclear event in the film lasting only 15 minutes. This film splits into three smaller stories, focusing on different areas of Washington governance and their responses to these events. There is a feeling of satisfaction as characters who may appear antagonistic in the first story grow, and we feel a later potential understanding and sympathy for them in the latter two stories, which gives them more of a focus.
A clear highlight of this style is Idris Elba as POTUS, who gives a clear vision of how to humanise the most powerful man in the world. Making his segment focus on rather menial problems, such as bad work days, sickness, and family issues, even though his character himself is clearly Obama-inspired, is authentic and well-written. Finally, the cinematography and direction of how events are announced or portrayed deserve a round of applause, making the audience truly feel like they’re in the room with these powerful and towering figures.
However, you may be thinking, “This film sounds great, engaging and overall, well made.” I, too, would think this, give it four stars, and go on with my life happy as normal. But to be spoiler-free, the ending could have cut to a black screen with text saying, “Nukes are bad”, and it would have the same effect.
The team behind this picture clearly intended to go for an artistic and social commentary perspective upon the ending; however, it ends up making the film feel pointless, instead coming off as pretentious and patronising. This makes the audience feel stupid for becoming engrossed with the world the filmmakers have put on display for us. The film refuses to establish any payoff, leaving the audience unsure of what happened, due to the combined abruptness and lack of closure in the ending. This may be viewed as intentional; however, it just feels lazy. Of course, no one wants a nuclear war, and the film doesn’t understand that this sentiment isn’t a new, original, or even interesting as a sole message to convey. To cap this off, an anonymous audience member during the exclusive theatrical screening on 10th October told me, “It was childish and pointless”, which I can agree is all that needs to be said about the film’s conclusion.
Overall, this movie is solid. It is well-made, and if it weren’t for the ending, I 100% would recommend it to anyone. As such, this film is frustrating. I want to praise it as much as I can, but its dud of an ending makes it hard to recommend to most. This film releases on the 24th of October as a Netflix exclusive, perfect for casual viewing and to form your own opinion.
★ ★ ★
