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Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘A House of Dynamite’ sounds the nuclear alarm

If a nuclear missile were headed toward the U.S. right now, how would the White House respond?

By MAX BOOT

Washington Post
October 2, 2025

There are a lot of things to worry about in the world today. Acclaimed director Kathryn Bigelow (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Hurt Locker”) has made a new film — “A House of Dynamite” — warning of a danger that most of us would sooner forget.

This is the latest in a long line of movies, stretching back decades to “Dr. Strangelove,” “On the Beach” and “Fail Safe,” that depict the outbreak of a nuclear conflict. But while those movies were made during the Cold War, “A House of Dynamite” is a product of today’s more complex world, where the dangers extend beyond a superpower confrontation.

The movie begins with U.S. sensors detecting the launch of a nuclear ICBM from the vicinity of North Korea toward the United States. Who fired the missile, and why, remains murky. Instead, the movie focuses on the U.S. national security professionals and political leaders who must figure out what to do in the 18 minutes before Chicago goes up in a mushroom cloud.