“A House of Dynamite” is now streaming on Netflix, and sees the United States facing an imminent missile strike from an unknown enemy. But how much of that story could actually happen?
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the film follows members of the U.S. government as they race against the clock to stop a nuclear missile from striking Chicago. The attack was sudden, and they have no idea who launched it, which makes planning a counterstrike significantly harder.
Hard decisions have to be made, and given that it takes place in the real world, viewers can’t help but wonder if this is how a nuclear threat might actually go in real life. For the record, no, “A House of Dynamite” isn’t based on a true story.
But there are some elements of reality in it, so let’s break it down.
Could a surprise nuclear attack happen?
It could, but experts say it’s unlikely. Matthew Bunn, who studies nuclear issues at the Harvard Kennedy School, told NPR that nuclear war is typically an “escalation from some non-nuclear crisis that evolves to armed conflict.” He also noted that the odds of sending just a single missile are astronomically low.
Does the U.S. have a missile defense system?
In the movie, there’s a missile defense system in Fort Greely, Alaska that is activated to try and intercept the missile. And yes, Fort Greely really does exist. Should a warhead be fired at the U.S., the military could fire interceptors to shoot it down. But, like in the movie, it is possible for those interceptors to fail or miss.
Is the nuclear football a real thing?
In most any movie that involves an attack on the U.S., you hear talk of the “nuclear football.” It’s typically shown as a briefcase carried by some soldier, that contains the nuclear codes and emergency procedures and plans for a strike.
There’s a reason it’s become ubiquitous in stories like this — it’s very much a real thing. It travels with the president everywhere he goes, and in the event of a crisis, the decision on how to react would be his alone.
So, “A House of Dynamite” is pretty accurate then?
Indeed. Beyond the idea of an act from one lone missile, most of the film is true to how this would go in real life.
That’s thanks in large part to Noah Oppenheim, who wrote and produced the film. He also worked on Netflix’s “Zero Day,” which told the story of a possible digital terrorist attack. How does he know so much? Well, he’s the former president of NBC News, and has interviewed several high-level government officials over the years.
Director Kathryn Bigelow is also responsible for films like “The Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty,” which allowed her to make government and military connections of her own.
In short, the two are very well-informed.
“A House of Dynamite” is now streaming on Netflix.
