'A House of Dynamite' explosive drama to keep eyes on screen

"A House of Dynamite" is truly frightening. Not in the way you might think, especially at this time of year. No, the movie doesn't have any scary creatures or supernatural beings. Instead, it's about something much more possible and sinister: nuclear war. "A House of Dynamite" is now available only on Netflix. Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson) is a normal person going to work on a normal day, though her job is not normal. She runs the White House Situation Room's Watch House. Each day she goes to work and commands a team that monitors all activity across the globe that might be a danger to the United States. Her shift turns out to be anything but normal. Shortly after her day begins an intercontinental ballistic missile is launched from somewhere near Asia with a trajectory indicating impact somewhere in the mainland United States. The entire upper echelon of the U.S. government springs into action. Or, at least, a type of action where they don't really know what is happening or what they should do. It may be more accurately described as inaction. One problem is that none of our satellites detected the launch, so they don't know for sure who fired the missile. Secretary of Defense Reid Baker (Jared Harris) initiates the continuity of government plan, resulting in the evacuation of certain critical personnel. Gen. Anthony Brady (Tracy Letts), Admiral Mark Miller (Jason Clarke), Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington (Gabriel Basso), and others gather on a video conference to make sense of what's happening and come up with a plan. Everyone wants the President (Idris Elba) to do something different. General Brady wants retaliatory nuclear strikes. Baerington advocates restraint. If we do retaliate, against who? No one knows the answers. Still, the President must make a decision. Written by Noah Oppenheim and directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the director behind "Zero Dark Thirty" and "The Hurt Locker," this riveting film is told from multiple points of view. The first part of the movie mostly follows Olivia Walker in the Situation Room. Subsequent acts show many of the same events through the eyes of Secretary of Defense Reid Baker and the President himself. The multiple points of view showcase just how confused everyone is, and how this situation would be a tragedy of epic proportions. Well done, Oppenheim and Bigelow. The cast of the movie is, well, dynamite. Well-known actors Rebecca Ferguson, Idris Elba and Gabriel Basso are joined by veteran actors Jared Harris and Tracy Letts, both of whom shine in their roles. Other actors at the top of their game play small, but important, roles. Anthony Ramos, Jason Clarke, Willa Fitzgerald and Kaitlyn Dever all make memorable appearances. The best part of the movie is the edge-of-your seat, please God never let this happen in real life tension that permeates the film from the first minute until the last. This is a true adult drama with the highest of stakes imaginable. That's what makes this movie so frightening, the prospect of global nuclear war where tens of millions of people could be vaporized in an instant. How many times have we been on the brink of nuclear war that we were never told about? That is what makes this movie scarier than any madman with a knife. Only one part of the movie was subpar. The ending left me, frankly, a bit upset. Without revealing any spoilers, I can say that the ending is frustratingly vague. I know it was left this way on purpose, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Despite the questionable ending, "A House of Dynamite" is the best Netflix original movie released this year. That may not be saying a lot given the lack of quality of many Netflix movies, but this thriller will keep your eyes glued to the screen until the credits roll. Grade: A Rated R for language. ••• Bradley Griffith is a local attorney and longtime film buff.