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There’s been a lot of discourse over whether or not the events of A House of Dynamite are realistic. The Netflix political thriller tells the story of the United States government handling a nuclear missile attack. The president (Idris Elba) and his team are tasked with figuring out how to stop the missile before it reaches Chicago in a matter of minutes. The story is told through multiple perspectives from the White House, Pentagon and United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) headquarters. A House of Dynamite was written by Noah Oppenheim and directed by Katherine Bigelow. In addition to Elba, the film stars Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, Renée Elise Goldsberry and more. Following the release of A House of Dynamite, the Pentagon released a memo disputing the film’s portrayal of the United States’ defense system. Oppenheim, for his part, stated that he “respectfully” disagreed with the department’s perspective. Keep scrolling for a breakdown on the discourse over A House of Dynamite: What Is ‘A House of Dynamite’ About? Radars at Fort Greely, Alaska, detect a nuclear missile, and the White House is informed. The President and his advisors have to work with the Pentagon and STRATCOM to find a solution. They have 18 minutes to respond before impact. In the first attempt to stop the missile, the Missile Defense Battalion at Fort Greely launches two ground-based interceptors, but both fail. The President is left with two options: let the missile hit Chicago or retaliate with his own strike, which could ignite a global nuclear war. Is ‘A House of Dynamite’ Realistic? Before writing A House of Dynamite, Oppenheim worked as a journalist covering politics and current affairs. In addition to using knowledge from his previous experience, Oppenheim sought out Dan Karbler, a former Army officer who previously served as STRATCOM chief of staff, to be a technical advisor on A House of Dynamite. One of the elements that the film dramatized was the United States’ not knowing where the missile launch originated. In an October 2025 interview with Time, Karbler explained that the situation would be “almost unheard of” in real life. As for the idea of a ground-based interceptor failing, that could potentially happen. The film claimed there was a 61 percent chance of the interceptor destroying the incoming missile, a number given in the 1940s, per Karbler. However, the former military official stated that the percentage has likely improved over time. “I’ve been on the receiving end of missile fire in Israel. My daughter has too,” Karbler told Time. “And when our missiles don’t work — and they don’t always work — there’s a lot of F-bombs.” What Did the Pentagon Say About ‘A House of Dynamite’? Following A House of Dynamite’s release, an internal memo from the Pentagon was published in Bloomberg to “address false assumptions, provide correct facts and a better understanding” of the United States’ system. “The fictional interceptors in the movie miss their target and we understand this is intended to be a compelling part of the drama intended for the entertainment of the audience,” the Pentagon said, adding that results from real-world testing “tell a vastly different story.” How Did the ‘A House of Dynamite’ Writer Respond? Following the Pentagon’s memo, Oppenheim stated that he “respectfully” disagreed with their stance. “I welcome the conversation. I’m so glad the Pentagon watched, or is watching, and is paying attention to it, because this is exactly the conversation we want to have,” he said in a statement to MSNBC.
