'A House of Dynamite' review: Kathryn Bigelow thriller almost hits its mark

WHAT IT'S ABOUT A nuclear missile has been launched at the United States and the government scrambles to respond in "A House of Dynamite," a new thriller from the Oscar-winning filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow  ("The Hurt Locker").

It says something about life in 2025 that Hollywood has returned in earnest to a subject matter that it obsessed over at the height of the Cold War (see movies like "Fail Safe" and "Dr. Strangelove," among others). 

But Bigelow isn't here to contemplate the significance of it all. 

Instead, working from a screenplay by former NBC News chief Noah Oppenheim ("Zero Day"), the filmmaker takes a matter-of-fact look at the governmental response to the sudden crisis. The drama is centered around the Situation Room at the White House, where senior officer Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson) coordinates things.

Key characters also include the president (Idris Elba), who is patched in from an off-site event and must make the final decision on a response; the secretary of defense (Jared Harris), who faces a personal conflict; and other serious military types played by an ensemble including Anthony Ramos ("In the Heights"), Tracy Letts ("August: Osage County") and Jason Clarke (Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty").

MY SAY Bigelow knows her way around this territory. The picture is a cousin of sorts to "The Hurt Locker," which followed an explosive ordnance disposal team during the Iraq War, and to "Zero Dark Thirty," her sprawling depiction of the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

"A House of Dynamite" shows off her aptitude for suspenseful storytelling rooted in a deep, technical understanding of how different components of the military operate during a crisis.

Here, the drama unfolds in key locations: the Alaska base on the front-line of responding to a missile launch; the Situation Room as Ferguson convenes the key players; and, ultimately, inside the Pentagon and Marine One, as the secretary of defense and the president, respectively, grapple with the right course of action.

Bigelow and Oppenheim resist the impulse to offer extensive exposition or easy explanations. We don't learn much about these characters. The source of the missile launch remains a mystery. There are only a few glimpses of anyone not involved in the official response, even as millions of Americans face a sudden mortal threat.

These parameters are admirable and, on some level, frustrating.

They're admirable because they reveal a carefully considered artistic vision. This is a movie about the challenges of a front-line response and the fact that the institutions Americans rely upon to keep them safe might not be up to the task. Bigelow never deviates from that mission. We see it laid bare.

The moments that really resonate here are the human ones. There's the president's agony over the right course of action. There's the secretary of defense's concern for an estranged family member. But we don't get nearly enough of them. So, while the movie is scary and unsettling, it doesn't stick with you. It adds to the noise, without rising above it.

BOTTOM LINE Bigelow is a great filmmaker, but the movie's focus is too narrow to have a lasting impact.