82nd VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: House of Dynamite by Kathryn Bigelow.
- ultimatetrendymag
- Sep 6, 2025
- 2 min read
After an eight-year absence — her last film was Detroit in 2017 — Kathryn Bigelow comes back with a dense political thriller that thrusts the audience into the heart of a global nuclear crisis. Her stylistic signature is sharper than ever: tight framing, relentless pacing, a suffocating atmosphere.
Article and photos by Marco Lorè
The film opens with the detection of a nuclear missile headed toward Chicago, launched by an unknown source.
From the moment it’s spotted, the clock is ticking: just 19 minutes to find a response.
The story unfolds from three vantage points: the White House Situation Room, where every decision converges; a missile defense base in Alaska; and the highest political offices, including the President himself.
This shifting perspective heightens the tension, though some critics argue it dilutes the emotional impact of the climax — the missile strike itself is deliberately not shown.
Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd brings total immersion: every shot feels essential and immediate, like frontline reportage.
Editing tightens the timeline into a merciless countdown.
Bigelow refuses to provide answers about who launched the attack; the ambiguity is intentional, forcing the audience to confront uncertainty rather than seek comfort.
As Bigelow explained: “We live in a house full of dynamite.” The title becomes a metaphor for our precarious global condition, with nuclear weapons as the silent tenants of everyday life.
The cast of A House of Dynamite is one of its great strengths: Idris Elba plays the President, supported by Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Moses Ingram, Greta Lee, and others. Performances ground the film in humanity, showing ordinary people faced with impossible decisions.
A House of Dynamite is a political thriller that boldly confronts our collective apathy toward nuclear threat.
With its documentary-like style, hypnotic structure, and commanding performances, Bigelow delivers activist cinema that shakes viewers out of complacency.
It’s not a film that offers comfort — it demands awareness.
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