Captivating political thriller A House of Dynamite is one of the best Netflix movies of the year

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Calling a movie one of Netflix’s best of the year doesn’t seem like a huge compliment, considering some of their other 2025 releases like The Electric State and The Woman in Cabin 10. But this time of year, Netflix usually starts releasing films aimed at awards season, and A House of Dynamite is definitely among the strongest contenders.

It’s always exciting to see a new film from Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow, especially after an eight-year wait since her last powerful movie, Detroit. And this one doesn’t disappoint. Featuring a fantastic cast of well-known actors, Bigelow delivers a fresh and gripping take on the political thriller, keeping you tense and engaged from the very beginning.

The premise is straightforward but gripping: a missile is heading for Chicago, set to detonate in just 18 minutes and cause a massive loss of life. The story focuses on figuring out who launched the attack and how the US government will react. A House of Dynamite doesn’t offer simple solutions, but it delivers a thrilling and complex political mystery.

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While the initial idea for A House of Dynamite is straightforward, the way the story unfolds is quite intricate. The film is divided into three parts, each showing the same crucial 18-minute period from a different viewpoint. We start with those who first detect the missile at a defense base and eventually reach the perspective of the US President (Idris Elba), who faces an impossible decision.

This story doesn’t completely change your understanding of what happened, but it presents events from so many angles that you’ll be kept guessing about the best course of action. It’s less about finding a solution and more about the thrilling tension of figuring things out.

It doesn’t immediately sound like relaxing Friday night viewing, but it’s surprisingly captivating. The story builds tension to an incredible degree, only to reset and start the cycle again. With a less skilled director, this could be irritating, feeling more focused on visuals than a good story. However, director Kathryn Bigelow handles it brilliantly, making it completely absorbing.

The film benefits from a fantastic cast who quickly make their characters feel real. While Idris Elba is essentially the main star, he doesn’t appear on screen until the very end and is only heard in the beginning. The cast is so large, in fact, that even talented actors like Kaitlyn Dever and Greta Lee only have quick appearances.

The film’s structure unfortunately doesn’t fully utilize its talented cast, particularly Rebecca Ferguson and Anthony Ramos, who aren’t featured much after the beginning. Thankfully, strong performances from actors like Tracy Letts and Jared Harris help carry things forward in the later parts of the movie.

The ending of A House of Dynamite is likely to spark debate. The script emphasizes the pointlessness of today’s global defense systems, portraying the world as dangerously unstable. Rather than a satisfying resolution where heroes triumph, the film concludes with an unsettling sense of ambiguity, leaving viewers with more questions than answers.

Honestly, I think the movie kept things a little too focused and the way it was broken into three parts stopped it from really digging into the ideas it brought up. If it had, that shocking ending would have hit even harder! But you know what? I guarantee people will be talking about this one long after they leave the theater – whether they love it or hate it, and I think that’s exactly what the filmmakers were going for with A House of Dynamite.

A House of Dynamite is available to watch now on Netflix.

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2025-10-24 10:19