Looking forward to this one very much... kind of a throwback, from a proven director of tense scenes.
I've heard nothing but excellent things. Last night I realized I haven't resubscribed to Netflix so I rewatched Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" instead, which is still also excellent. Need to figure out my watch list on Netflix and Apple, then drop a couple of services I'm not using much and re-up those 2.
Watched it today and it's a great movie! I'd give it a 9 / 10 because it gets your attention from the very beginning all the way through the end.
Regarding the ending... Spoiler In the film A House of Dynamite, the director deliberately left the ending ambiguous to provoke conversation and force audiences to confront the real-world dangers of nuclear weapons. The movie ends on a cliffhanger, before the missile strikes Chicago or the President makes a final decision on retaliation, leaving the fate of the city and the world unknown. **** that ****. We watch movies and shows for a complete story. There would probably be even more conversation had they showed Chicago leveled or that the president fired back before the nuke failed to explode. Many conversational endings, instead of no ending at all.
It had a really limited theatrical run earlier this month before it hitting Netflix, similar approach with Del Toro's Frankenstein.....
I enjoyed the movie as much as you can enjoy that kind of movie. Great acting. As a disaster guy, I appreciated how the President was caught without having access to his most trusted advisors and the young staffer has to step up--the world is unpredictable and bad things rarely happen when you are perfectly ready for them. It's also one thing to make decisions when the people who will be affected are ones you don't know while it is an entirely different dynamic to recognize you and the people you love will be affected by your decisions and actions. I thought some of it was realistic and other parts were added drama. As for the ending, most sane Presidents would have decided to wait on two things: See what happened to Chicago (could be a dud) and firmly establish the source of the missile--you don't want to blow up China and Russia if it was North Korea, and so on. General Strangelove's points about sudden retaliation and American weakness don't really ring true considering we still have the whole arsenal regardless of what happens in Chicago. Also, White House speechwriters would have been in the bunker composing a speech with alternate endings depending on events because the President would need to immediately make a live statement to the country and the world.
Wow, that looks good and kind of fits the time were living in, I might break down and get Netflix, I feel I may be the one person who does not have it