The end of the world is a familiar on-screen scenario: aliens destroy the White House, apes rise to the top of the food chain, you know what to do. But you've probably never seen an end-of-the-world movie quite like House of Dynamite.
The film takes place over 19 minutes after the discovery of an unauthorized nuclear missile heading towards US territory. This is a chillingly plausible and meticulously researched tale of how the world can change forever in a matter of minutes. It features a stellar cast including Rebecca Ferguson, Idris Elba, Anthony Ramos and Tracy Letts.
“What you realize is that by the time this material got to us, it was really well researched, I mean, down to a documentary level of detail,” says co-star Tracy Letts, who plays Air Force General Anthony Brady. “Noah already knew a lot about this topic before he wrote it, but then it was tested and confirmed by many experts in the field, people who have actually held these positions. So all the wording was accurate, all the protocols were accurate.”
This verisimilitude extends to the film's sets, which feature many reconstructions of real rooms. “Catherine said they were allowed into the situation room for a couple of minutes, but they weren't allowed to take any photographs,” Ferguson says. “So Jeremy [Hindle]who the production designer is, I don’t know how he did it, he memorized or documented everything, because apparently it’s fluff, like carpet, color, fabric, wallpaper, wooden benches. Everything was as accurate as possible.”
For Ferguson and Letts, the film serves as a dire warning: a country like the United States may have the most advanced nuclear deterrent in the world, but no such system is foolproof when it involves people. “It's terrifying because we now understand the power that nuclear weapons provide and the fact that one person has the ability to activate nuclear war,” Ferguson says. “I mean, okay, what do you do about it? I mean, what option is that? We will respond with nuclear weapons. I mean, something needs to be done.”
House of Dynamite streams on Netflix starting October 24th. For more information check out our listing Best Netflix Movies currently streaming.
