A House of Dynamite is a 2025 American apocalyptic political thriller directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Noah Oppenheim. The film features an ensemble cast led by Rebecca Ferguson, Idris Elba, Jared Harris, and others. It was released theatrically in the United States on October 10, 2025, and became available to stream on Netflix on October 24, 2025.
The film unfolds in a non-chronological structure, presenting the same sequence three times from different perspectives. Each section carries its own title: “Inclination is Flattening,” “Hitting a Bullet with a Bullet,” and “A House Filled with Dynamite.”
The film starts strong, with great tension and impressive performances from the cast in the first 40 minutes. However, once it shifts to another perspective, the tension begins to drag. In my opinion, a linear storyline would have worked better. Rather than dividing the narrative into separate sections, weaving the perspectives together could have maintained suspense throughout. While the “flower” narrative style can create intrigue and mystery when executed well, gradually revealing each perspective like puzzle pieces, A House of Dynamite falls short. After the first perspective, it becomes predictable, making it feel like you’re watching the same events repeated rather than building toward a compelling revelation.
Each perspective fails to add meaningful depth or new information; instead, much of the same dialogue is replayed multiple times, which quickly becomes repetitive and dull. I understand what the filmmaker was aiming to accomplish, but the execution falls apart after the initial perspective, undermining the film’s potential impact.
In the end, A House of Dynamite shines in its exploration of moral and strategic decision-making among individuals and departments. The film has the foundation to be great, but its structural choices ultimately prevent it from reaching its full potential.
