Review: “A House of Dynamite” (Netflix)

REVIEW: “A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE” [NETFLIX]

A House of Dynamite is the hottest new show on Netflix. It’s so impactful that some top government officials are now commenting on it. They’re denying its realism mostly — which probably means it’s frighteningly close to being accurate. Yes, it could happen. The movie — and particularly the ending — has triggered a broad spectrum of reactions from political insiders and the general public alike. This isn’t surprising given the deep divide within our nation and the chronic depth of disinformation poisoning healthy discussion and made constructive debate difficult if not impossible.

Directed by the Oscar winner of The Hurt Locker (along with Zero Dark Thirty) the film and story are signature Kathryn Bigelow at her very best, reflecting her own unique brand of style and storytelling. Fast-pacing, jittery camera shots, imperfect angles across paper-stacked desks, awkward pauses and occasional interruptions, and devotion to the tiniest details are Bigelow’s cinematic trademark. Reminiscent of the best film adaptations of Tom Clancy’s novels a generation ago, she’s carrying that legacy and level of authenticity. Bigelow clearly hasn’t lost a step returning to the all-too familiar subject matter of another intense political and military conflict, though this crisis is not played out on battlefields, but rather beneath florescent office lights burrowed in bureaucratic concrete mazes and newsroom-looking situation rooms operating 24/7/365 under the government’s alphabet soup of letter abbreviations.