Movie Review: ‘A House of Dynamite’

The new film boasts a sprawling ensemble cast including Rebecca Ferguson (‘Mission: Impossible –– Rogue Nation’), Idris Elba (‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’), Jared Harris (‘Chernobyl’), Gabriel Basso (‘Super 8’), Greta Lee (‘Past Lives’) and Tracy Letts (‘Lady Bird’).

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Initial Thoughts

(L to R) Tracy Letts as General Anthony Brady and Gbenga Akinnagbe as Major General Steven Kyle in ‘A House of Dynamite’. Photo: Eros Hoagland/Netflix © 2025.

Kathryn Bigelow is the perfect person to handle an inordinately tense, gripping and powerful near-real time military thriller. Less a war film more a story of the buildup to potential conflict, it marks her successful return to moviemaking following the less-than-enthusiastic reaction to 2017’s ‘Detroit’.

And this is a talent who deserved better than to sit on the sidelines for years.

Script and Direction

Kathryn Bigelow attends the Netflix film ‘A House of Dynamite’ NYFF Main Slate Premiere and Q&A on September 28, 2025 in New York City. Photo: Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Netflix.

Noah Oppenheim, an NBC news veteran, has been behind scripts including ‘Jackie’ and the recent Netflix series ‘Zero Day’, and pumps up the tension with a structure that resets the clock on the story across three acts, telling the same story of a missile headed to the US from an unknown aggressor from different viewpoints up and down the command chain from isolated military bases to the hubs of the White House and the Pentagon.

While the switch in focus means some characters are better served than others, and some of the more movie-ish peeks into personal lives dip precariously close to cheese, it still works.

Bigelow keeps the camera moving and the tension levels high for this one, aided by Volker Bertelmann‘s doomy, evolving score. It’s the director’s best in years and deserves to be seen.

Cast and Performances

Idris Elba as POTUS in ‘A House of Dynamite’. Photo: Eros Hoagland/Netflix © 2025.

With such a big cast to service, it’s impressive how many big names Bigelow has recruited here. Standouts include Rebecca Ferguson’s steely, but human operations officer at the White House, Jason Clarke as her boss, Gabriel Basso as a nervy National Security Advisor thrust into a new level of responsibility and Jared Leto as Secretary of Defense Baker, at once outraged by the lack of efficiency in his country’s response to the weapon headed its way a terrified for his estranged daughter (an underused Kaitlyn Dever).

If there’s a weak link here, it’s Idris Elba, who never really convinces as the President.

Final Thoughts

(L to R) Anthony Ramos as Major Daniel Gonzalez and Abubakr Ali as Specialist Dan Buck in ‘A House of Dynamite’. Photo: Eros Hoagland/Netflix © 2025.

Bigelow is back in a big way with this new film.

You might want to have something calming and happy to watch or do once the credits role; chances are you’ll need it.

‘A House of Dynamite’ receives 85 out of 100.

Gabriel Basso as Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington in ‘A House of Dynamite’. Photo: Eros Hoagland/Netflix © 2025.

What’s the story of ‘A House of Dynamite’?

When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race
begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.

Who is in the cast of ‘A House of Dynamite’?

• Idris Elba as the President of the United States
• Rebecca Ferguson as Captain Olivia Walker
• Gabriel Basso as Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington
• Jared Harris as Secretary of Defense Reid Baker
• Tracy Letts as General Anthony Brody
• Anthony Ramos as Major Daniel Gonzalez
• Moses Ingram as FEMA official Cathy Rogers
• Jonah Hauer-King as Lieutenant Commander Robert Reeves
• Greta Lee as Ana Park, the NSA’s North Korea expert
• Jason Clarke as Admiral Mark Miller, the senior Situation Room official

Kyle Allen as Captain Jon Zimmer in ‘A House of Dynamite’. Photo: Eros Hoagland/Netflix © 2025.

Other Movies Directed by Kathryn Bigelow:

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