A House Of Dynamite left critics in awe with its ‘horrifically gripping and unsettling’ nuclear war scenes that were dubbed ‘more terrifying than most horror films’.

The American political thriller premiered at the Venice International Film Festival on September 2 and will land on Netflix on October 24. 

The movie was directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Noah Oppenheim. 

It stars the likes of Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos and Moses Ingram. 

The plot follows how the US president tries to deal with an incoming missile attack – and doesn’t pull any punches.  

‘When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond,’ the streaming site’s synopsis reads.

A House Of Dynamite left critics in awe with its ‘horrifically gripping and unsettling’ nuclear war scenes that were dubbed ‘more terrifying than most horror films’

The American political thriller premiered at the Venice International Film Festival on September 2 and will land on Netflix on October 24

Those who have been lucky to watch A House Of Dynamite have raved about the new film. 

The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw says: ‘What the film shrewdly shows is the horribly ironic transitional moments: along with the heart-stopping intel about the missile, the screens are, at first, still showing ordinary news – headlines such as “Rental demand driving up prices”, now remnants of a lost world.

‘There are times when A House of Dynamite might seem melodramatic or stagey and yet maybe that is how it may well feel in the highest reaches of power – with everyone looking and feeling like actors in elaborate costumes whose roles had only one purpose: to deter aggression, a purpose which is now obsolete. 

‘It is a big chill.’ 

BBC’s Nicholas Barber writes: ‘The resulting drama, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday will be released on Netflix in October, is more riveting than most thrillers, and more terrifying than most horror films.’ 

Independent’s Geoffrey Macnab adds: ‘The filmmakers have clearly done their research. We are subjected to a blizzard of acronyms and technical jargon: ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles) and GBIs (Ground-Based Interceptors), and so forth. Action unfolds in cramped situation rooms and emergency operation centres.

‘It’s a measure of Bigelow’s storytelling abilities that a movie that consists almost entirely of people talking still seems so suspenseful. 

‘The director plays exhaustive attention to body language. The closer the missile comes to the mainland US, the more defensive the posture of all the protagonists. Almost everybody folds their arms. 

The movie was directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Noah Oppenheim

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Idris Elba and wife Sabrina share a passionate kiss during Venice Film Festival

‘Characters twist their wedding rings. 

‘Officers and politicians scowl and pull increasingly long faces. There are lots of close-ups of sweaty, anxiety-ridden Washington insiders. 

‘As viewers, we feel and share their discomfort.’ 

Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney says: ‘With thematic cohesion and a refusal to soften the edges of white-knuckle situations all firmly within the realm of possibility, the director lobs an unsettling “it could happen” reality at us, showing capable people doing the best they can in extremis but offering no false reassurances that everything will be fine. 

‘Ending on the perfect sobering note — and image — it’s a crackling thriller and a wake-up call from complacency.’

Indie Wires’ Ryan Lattanzio writes: ‘Eighteen minutes is all we have to save the country (or not) upon news of an impending nuclear missile in Kathryn Bigelow‘s horrifically gripping and cautionary A  House Of Dynamite. 

‘If we don’t do something about the lunatics in power globally, and specifically at the helm of nine countries with a nuclear stockpile (including the United States), well then, we’re f***ed. 

‘Bigelow’s explosively entertaining real-time thriller, told from multiple perspectives at various levels of government from situation room deputies to POTUS (Idris Elba) himself, does not mince on hopelessness.

‘When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond,’ Netflix’s synopsis reads. 

‘Noah Oppenheim’s rigorously researched and vividly jargonistic script (he comes from a background in broadcast news at NBC) doesn’t mince, either, on the mundanity of incompetence. 

‘The filmmaking team visited the White House Situation Room and the headquarters of U.S. Strategic Command to achieve an almost whiplash-inducing realism: The pile-up of acronyms woven even into the film‘s intertitles — the GBIs, the KPAs, the JEEPS, and does it even matter what the hell they mean? — underlines how the United States’ all-scenarios plan of military response to a nuclear attack is crushingly futile in the wake of an actual missile heading toward either Louisville, Chicago, Columbus, or best-guess somewhere else in the Midwest.’ 

The Telegraph’s Robbin Collin says: ‘The film opens with the apocalypse already underway: a projectile is spotted over the sea near North Korea, streaking towards the US mainland.

‘It could be Pyongyang’s doing, or a Russian plot with geographical deniability built in. Or, as someone points out, perhaps a submarine commander woke up that morning, heard his wife was leaving him, and snapped.

‘The script, by the aptly named Noah Oppenheim, a former TV news producer, takes us to five crucial sites – a missile defence station in Alaska, the White House, US Strategic Command, the Pentagon, a presidential visit to a basketball court – and allows events to unspool from each perspective in turn, creating a bigger picture that offers little comfort.’

Metro’s Tori Brazier writes: ‘I’ve just seen the best and most thought-provoking movie of the 2025 Venice Film Festival so far, thanks to A House of Dynamite.

‘This Netflix political thriller boasts an impressive ensemble cast, expertise in its alarming subject matter and the gold-standard quality that comes from director Kathryn Bigelow at the helm.

‘It’s also uncomfortably realistic and tense in its delivery of the message that nuclear war is far closer at every second than most of the world’s population really understands.’

Radio Times’ James Mottram adds: ‘A tense, taut drama for the nuclear age, it’s a multi-perspective look at the precious few minutes that tick by when a launched missile, or “object” to use the jargon, enters United States airspace.

‘As the opening caption reminds us, after the Cold War, political agreements looked to dismantle the nuclear arms race, but “that era is now over”. As we all know, countries including the US, Russia, China, North Korea and India all have nuclear arsenals. The question is, is anyone ready to push the button?

‘It was a night of passion on Tuesday evening at the A House Of Dynamite premiere during Venice Film Festival, as the couples in attendance couldn’t keep their hands off each other.’

Idris Elba, who stars in the film, was supported by his wife Sabrina on the red carpet, and they shared a passionate kiss ahead of the main event on Tuesday.

Rebecca Ferguson and her husband Rory Dote also put on a loved-up display in front of the cameras as they took their turn on the red carpet.

Idris cut a dapper figure in a quirky blue blazer and high neck brown top, teamed with matching trousers and dress shoes. 

Meanwhile, his gorgeous partner Sabrina turned heads in an eye-catching white midi dress, which showed off her incredible figure.

She elevated her height in matching Christian Louboutin heels and accessorised with dazzling silver drop earrings. 

Rebecca put on a glamorous display in a bold black gown with a long trail, while Rory opted for a dashing tuxedo. 

A House of Dynamite is a 2025 American political thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Noah Oppenheim.

Rebecca plays intelligence analyst Capt Olivia Walker, while Idris plays a top national security adviser.

The 82nd annual Venice International Film Festival is taking place from 27 August to 6 September 2025, at Venice Lido in Italy.