A House of Dynamite is a new nuclear thriller from famed director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Noah Oppenheim that dives deep into the nuclear launch process and explores how a fictional White House would respond to an incoming nuclear attack including through the use of missile defense.
In an interview with the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Bigelow and Oppenheim explain the process they went through to make the film as accurate as possible, speaking to and working with people who had the senior roles featured in the film, at the Pentagon, in the White House, at STRATCOM and more.
So how realistic is the film? Could it really happen? Would everything really happen that quickly? Our resources break it down.
At the top of each linked page, we’ll tell you if the text contains spoilers of the film.
BEFORE YOU WATCH
The film’s trailer delivers multiple hints about what’s ahead in the film. As a self-proclaimed lover of nuclear media, Communications Associate Farah Sonde breaks down quotes and screenshots from the trailer to give a little context on what real-life aspects of nuclear weapons policy are brought to life on screen even before she saw the film on October 10.
One Person’s Pre-Watch Guide to ‘A House of Dynamite’
WHILE YOU WATCH
Snacks are ready, cozy slippers are on and you’re ready to watch A House of Dynamite on Netflix on your couch. Something pops up on your screen that has you wondering: What is that? Is that realistic? What does that mean? Our watch-along guide is designed to briefly explain key points of the film in real time and provide helpful facts to enhance your viewing experience — much like butter enhances popcorn — so you can pause and read more or keep watching and come back to answer your questions after you’ve seen the film or during a rewatch.
‘A House of Dynamite’: Minute-by-Minute Watch-Along Guide
AFTER YOU WATCH
What do our experts think about how realistic A House of Dynamite is? We share our thoughts on how it portrays missile defense, the nuclear launch process and more.
Nukes of Hazard Podcast Episode: Are We Living in a House of Dynamite?
Is ‘A House of Dynamite’ Realistic?
What ‘A House of Dynamite’ Gets Right and Wrong
About Missile Defense
What ‘A House of Dynamite’ Gets Right and Wrong
About the U.S. Nuclear Launch Process
NEXT STEPS
Bigelow and Oppenheim also share with the Bulletin their motivation behind the film:
“[W]e created nuclear weapons. We created this threat. We therefore have the capacity to solve it. It’s too easy to push it out of our minds. It’s too easy to ignore it because it feels abstract. But it’s a calamity that could unfold at any moment, and we shouldn’t leave the decision-making around it to a small cadre of experts. We should all be involved in the conversation and in trying to push the world towards a safer place.” -Noah Oppenheim
We couldn’t agree more.
