The trailer for Kathryn Bigelow’s newest film, A House of Dynamite, takes on the threat of nuclear extinction.
Written by Noah Oppenheim and produced by Bigelow, Oppenheim and Greg Shapiro, the Netflix film, which just debuted at the Venice Film Festival, tells a speculative story about if a missile is somehow launched towards the United States. As the logline states, “When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.”
Who stars in ‘A House of Dynamite’?
The film stars Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, with Greta Lee, and Jason Clarke. Also starring Malachi Beasley, Brian Tee, Brittany O’Grady, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Willa Fitzgerald, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Kyle Allen and Kaitlyn Dever.
What critics are saying bout ‘A House of Dynamite’
The film has already caused a stir with critics, earning an 87 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Times’ Kevin Maher called Bigelow “the thinking person’s action director” and added that the film is “an extraordinarily accomplished feel-bad thriller.”
Roger Ebert’s Glenn Kenny also praised “Bigelow’s ability to take a series of hypotheticals and render them into narrative actuality.” He added that Bigelow’s storytelling “has never been more pinpoint accurate or merciless.”
Yasmine Kandil of Little White Lies said Bigelow’s “gritty” direction and Oppenheim’s “skillfully layered script” bring politicians and Washington officials down to the level of their constituents, writing that the film “takes these high-ranking officials and renders them equals with the people they are obliged to protect.”
Indie Wire’s Ryan Lattanzio gave Bigelow what could be read as a backhanded compliment. He called Bigelow’s style of storytelling “procedural to its core,” but he said “that this film is a speculative what-if is made all the more horrifying because of its banality.”
Alex Billington of First Showing summed up his feelings by calling the film “one of the most intensely thrilling movies of the year.”
However, there are some reviewers who didn’t love the film, such as Variety’s Owen Gleiberman. He wrote the film was easy enough to watch, and that “it’s wired to be exciting, with a showy hot-button relevance, but the problem with the movie is that it isn’t quite convincing.” He added that the film is “trapped between trying to be a ‘serious’ thriller and a piece of glorified schlock.”
But David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter loved the film, calling it a “feat of adrenaline-pumping editing and cinematography” and “a knockout.”
When is ‘A House of Dynamite’ in theaters?
A House of Dynamite hits select theaters in the UK Oct. 3, select theaters globally Oct. 10, and Netflix Oct. 24. Watch the trailer below:
