Idris Elba stars as POTUS in “A House of Dynamite” (Photo courtesy of Netflix Studios).
(“A House of Dynamite” trailer courtesy of Netflix)
Hollywood is on a political roll, coincidentally or by plan.
Recent films such as “The Long Walk” and “One Battle After Another” have highlighted the polarizing and divisive issues of the day.
“A House of Dynamite” continues that trend and comes across as a scary wake-up call to Americans who may have gotten complacent over the last quarter-century.
To put it bluntly, Americans can come across as arrogant.
Sure, the country is a true superpower.
Yes, people come from near and far to enjoy the freedom and liberty that Americans have, which can lead to U.S. hubris.
But that hubris can also lead to complacency.
Before Sept. 11, many Americans, especially of the younger demographic, probably could not have fathomed a foreign entity ever attacking their country on its own soil.
Unfortunately, that is probably why those terrorist attacks were so deadly, because Americans had let their guard down at a time when they were actually very vulnerable.
Almost 25 years later, have Americans become complacent again?
After all, America has not been physically attacked since that terrible Tuesday at the beginning of the new millennium.
And if America were to face an attack, particularly of the nuclear variety, how would the superpower respond?
Responding with violence might lead to a more widespread conflict, which might put more lives at risk.
On the other hand, not responding at all might make the United States look weak and unprotected, which might open the nation to more attacks from its adversaries.
“A House of Dynamite” is fire because it shows how regular people living regular home lives have the safety of the whole world in their hands once they enter a government building for work.
In “A House of Dynamite,” Captain Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson) has a sick son at home who needs to get to the pediatrician as soon as possible because he is running a very high fever.
Thankfully, Olivia has a devoted husband who can do more of the domestic duties while she is working to protect the country from enemies, both foreign and domestic.
Her colleague, SCPO William Davis (Malachi Beasley), is not only Olivia’s right-hand man at the job, but he is also her friend in real life.
On the bus to work in the morning, William spends the entire commute staring at pictures and videos of him and his beautiful girlfriend.
He knows that she is the one.
However, he has not popped the big question yet.
Therefore, it is up to a real friend like Olivia to nudge William in the right direction, encouraging him to stop by the jewelry store after work to make it official.
In “A House of Dynamite,” Cathy Rogers (Moses Ingram) is new to her position with FEMA.
While she is only trying to fit in and do her job, Cathy is already receiving preferential treatment from her superiors, which irks her envious peers.
Ana Park (Greta Lee) just wants to enjoy her day off from work with her young son.
Therefore, she has taken him to a Gettysburg Civil War reenactment, reliving a time in American history when overseas adversaries could not just sneak up on the country and attack it out of the blue.
But even if a country wanted to attack America by air in 2025, they would need to deal with people like Major Daniel Gonzales (Anthony Ramos), who has the capability of intercepting missiles before they reach American soil, potentially saving countless lives.
But what happens when all of America’s best military technology fails to prevent catastrophe?
What happens when an adversary sends a nuclear missile at one of America’s largest cities, threatening millions of lives?
Whatever the POTUS and his staff decide to do, they had better make their decision quickly because if they do not act fast, a major city will be a major scene of mass casualties and destruction.
“A House of Dynamite” is unique because the movie takes a small portion of time and stretches it for over two hours, as it tells the same story from a different vantage point each time.
Each person involved in the decision-making process has his or her own skillset and expertise to assist in the potentially deadly dilemma.
When the story is told from each perspective, the dialogue is the same.
But the main character and the surroundings are different.
Throughout much of “A House of Dynamite,” POTUS (Idris Elba) cannot be seen.
He is only heard via Zoom-like conference calls.
However, his presence is finally felt at the end of “A House of Dynamite” as the buck stops with him as commander-in-chief.
Unfortunately, Elba’s British accent slightly comes through during his performance as an American president.
Although he is a master at his craft, Elba’s accent comes through a little in some of his roles, like in “This Christmas.”
While that might not be that big of a deal for a movie like “This Christmas,” it becomes a little more noticeable as the president of the United States.
Additionally, “A House of Dynamite” does not give the talented Ramos enough screen time.
Ramos dominates the beginning of the movie.
But he gives way to other characters as the movie progresses.
However, that becomes more understandable as it becomes clear that all the characters are actually main characters in “A House of Dynamite” and no one character is the total focus of the movie.
Unfortunately, the conclusion of “A House of Dynamite” leaves much to be desired.
And those desiring to see it via Netflix must wait until Oct. 24 to view it.
All others can view it now in select theaters.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
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