If you hated House of Dynamite, watch this classic nuclear thriller instead
somewhere above The North Pole reaches North America, a nuclear bomber flies in a squadron and awaits its command. The startled crew look at each other when a secret code appears on a machine in the cabin. The code instructs them to attack. Opening a sealed envelope marked “Top Secret”, the pilot reads the name of his target: Moscow. They set their own path. The end of the world has begun.
Or so they think. In fact, it’s all a big mistake — the result of a computer glitch at a military base that accidentally sent the bomber code for the attack. This is the premise of Sidney Lumet’s 1964 masterpiece Fail Safe– a film that asked Cold War audiences to question the rampant proliferation of nuclear weapons at a time when, for many, building a massive arsenal seemed essential.
I watched Fail Safe Lately to remind myself how good it is after I’ve been disappointed A house of dynamiteKathryn Bigelow’s portrayal of a nuclear crisis, which premiered on Netflix on October 24.
Some political analysts argue that nuclear war has never been more likely than it is today. And yet, despite this constant threat to humanity’s existence, few other movies or TV shows seem to be concerned with the prospect. A house of dynamite It slows down the process by bringing nuclear weapons back into the limelight.
In the film, radar systems detect an intercontinental ballistic missile of unknown origin headed for the United States.
Analysis of the missile’s trajectory soon revealed its likely target: Chicago. Government officials tell each other that such a weapon could kill 10 million people on impact. Many more will likely die from radioactive fallout from a nuclear explosion. The missile hits in just 19 minutes, meaning no time to evacuate Chicago. All the US can do is try to shoot down the ICBM, while thinking of a disaster.
The first step is to grab. Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson), a senior officer in the White House situation room, quickly recognizes the enormity of what is unfolding on the whiteboard in front of her and her colleagues. We feel the urgency of every action, order, and desperate argument that follows.
but A house of dynamite At nearly two hours, the 19 minutes to the beat are both long and played no fewer than three times, from three slightly different perspectives. In the second act, we join generals and government officials on a strange Zoom call as they try to figure out what, if anything, they can do. And in the third, we follow the President of the United States, played by Idris Elba, who looks hopelessly confused even before he learns of the incoming ICBM. In short, the tension gradually dissipates, the script falls away, and we never find out what’s to come of it all. The ending, or lack thereof, has angered some viewers.
