Netflix’s House of Dynamite Creative Team Defends That Frustrating Ending (But I Don’t Buy It)

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A lot of people believe a movie’s ending is what you remember most. While a good story should be enjoyable throughout, a bad ending can ruin the whole experience. The movie The Grey, starring Liam Neeson, often receives criticism for building up to a showdown between Neeson and a pack of wolves, then unexpectedly stopping the fight just when it’s about to happen. To add insult to injury, the film includes a scene after the credits where Neeson’s character and the lead wolf are shown lying defeated together.

Netflix’s new film, A House of Dynamite, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, presents a tense situation: the United States is targeted by a missile, but the government doesn’t know where it came from. As officials rush to find answers, the president faces a difficult decision – risk an attack by doing nothing, or retaliate against a country that might be innocent. The film doesn’t show the president’s choice or the impact of the missile, leaving viewers in suspense – a choice the filmmakers are prepared to explain.

Kathryn Bigelow and Co. Believe That A House of Dynamite Is All About Starting a Conversation

Kathryn Bigelow deliberately didn’t offer a neat resolution in her film, understanding viewers might expect one. She explained to Netflix’s TUDUM that she was more focused on portraying the turmoil and uncertainty surrounding nuclear weapons, rather than their direct effects.

She wants the movie to leave viewers pondering what steps need to be taken next. Recognizing the global nature of the issue, she hopes for a future with fewer nuclear weapons. However, she emphasizes that we currently live in a very precarious situation. Her main goal with the film was to spark discussion, believing that the real impact will be the conversations it generates after people leave the theater.

Noah Oppenheim, the writer of A House of Dynamite, expressed a similar idea. He told Decider that he knows what happens with the missile and how the president reacts, but he doesn’t think revealing those details would be satisfying for the audience.

He explained that this is meant to get people thinking and start a discussion. Regardless of how things eventually turn out, we’ve already witnessed something terrible. And the truth is, these dangerous tools and the systems behind them still exist in our everyday lives. We need to ask ourselves: are we okay with that, or should we take action?

A House of Dynamite Could’ve Had Its Cake and Eaten It, Too

Bigelow and Oppenheim deserve credit for sticking to their artistic vision with their film. Even though releasing it on Netflix meant a wider audience, they didn’t compromise on their challenging ending. While most critics have accepted A House of Dynamite, with its imperfections, general viewers are struggling with it. Many are frustrated that the characters and the story don’t offer the emotional payoff they expect. It’s understandable, as the ending feels evasive and avoids directly addressing the central issues.

The show House of Dynamite could have kept the story going by simply revealing what happened with the missile. It didn’t need to drag out the conflict or have the president make a decision. Viewers just want a satisfying conclusion, and offering even a small gesture of resolution would have made the ending much more seamless.

A House of Dynamite is streaming on Netflix.

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2025-10-29 20:44