A House of Dynamite ending explained | Films | Entertainment
*Warning – this article contains spoilers from the film A House of Dynamite.*
A House of Dynamite has quickly become a hit on Netflix, ranking as the top film on the streaming platform in the UK today.
The movie, which comes from The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow, follows the events of an escalating nuclear crisis.
The synopsis for A House of Dynamite, which is already earning rave reviews, reads: “When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.”
Viewers see the 18 minutes that follow a missile being launched at the United States from three different perspectives over the course of the film: first from the White House Situation Room, then from the United States Strategic Command, and finally from the US President.
But how did the film end? Let’s unpack what happened in the final moments of A House of Dynamite.
In the final chapter of A House of Dynamite, we are introduced to the President of the United States, who is played by The Wire actor Idris Elba.
We see the President shooting hoops with a girls’ basketball team when a Secret Service agent is told about the approaching missile.
From there, POTUS is sealed inside a motorcade and on a conference call where he is told the USA is under attack and presented with a number of devastating counterstrike options.
Elsewhere, we see Defense Secretary Baker climb a stairwell to call his daughter Caroline (Kaitlyn Dever) in Chicago, where we now know the missile is headed.
Knowing his daughter is on the precipice of death, he reaches the roof and – instead of boarding the helicopter that has come to retrieve him – walks off the edge of the building.
We then cut back to the President in the motorcade, where he is assured by Russia’s foreign minister that they had nothing to do with the launch.
He is then faced with the choice of either retaliating or ‘sitting back and watching Chicago incinerate’.
He is then asked: “What are your orders, Mr. President?”
“My orders…” he trails off, as the screen cuts to black.
In the end, an explosion never comes and we are left wondering if Chicago survives or burns.
For viewers seeking closure, this might feel frustrating, but Bigelow is trying to demonstrate the fragility of a civilization founded on the threat of mutually assured destruction.
Ahead of the film’s debut on Netflix, Bigelow told Tudum: “Eighteen minutes to decide the fate of the world and yet limited information [with] which to do so.
“We see into the halls of power, where highly competent individuals are confronted with confusion, chaos, and helplessness.”
A House of Dynamite is available to watch now on Netflix.
