Eight years after her last film, *Detroit*, Kathryn Bigelow is back with *A House of Dynamite* on Netflix. As with her prior Iraq War-centric efforts such as *The Hurt Locker* and *Zero Dark Thirty*, it’s a cinéma vérité-style thriller exploring how American life has changed in the wake of 9/11. Written by Noah Oppenheim, the film is a triptych that examines the immediate reactions to a nuclear weapon being launched from an unknown enemy towards Chicago.
Key characters include Strategic Command Combatant General Anthony Brady (Tracy Letts) and the U.S. President (Idris Elba). As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that there’s no way to prevent or respond effectively to the catastrophic event. Like the best nuclear war films, *A House of Dynamite* shows that harnessing such a destructive force was a mistake from the start, and it’s only a matter of time before a critical misstep leads to regret.
If you’ve just finished *A House of Dynamite* and want to get your heart rate up again, fear not. Here are 10 of the best movies like *A House of Dynamite*, ranging from white-knuckle thrillers to absurdist satires.
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**1. Crimson Tide (1995)**
Although the Cold War has ended, tensions remain high as civil war breaks out in Chechnya. Russian militants loyal to rebel Vladimir Radchenko (Daniel von Bargen) take control of a nuclear weapons installation and threaten to launch missiles if attacked. Veteran submarine Captain Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman) commands the USS Alabama with a new executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington).
Ramsey is ready to strike to halt a nuclear war when an incomplete Emergency Action Message is received. Hunter urges caution, leading to near mutiny as they fight for control. Like *A House of Dynamite*, *Crimson Tide* examines the nuclear threat from a military standpoint, portraying Ramsey’s hawkish approach contrasted with Hunter’s push for diplomacy.
Directed by Tony Scott and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, it’s slick entertainment that masterfully builds tension aboard a claustrophobic submarine. It’s also a thoughtful drama about how split-second decisions can lead to catastrophic outcomes. Hackman and Washington’s performances encourage viewers to see both perspectives: the danger of inaction and the risks of premature strikes.
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**2. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)**
Paranoia over communist infiltration leads Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) to launch an unauthorized nuclear attack against Russia. Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers) desperately tries to stop it while U.S. President Merkin Muffley (also Sellers) attempts to reverse the attack. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) advocates following through, and a B-52 bomber piloted by Major T. J. “King” Kong (Slim Pickens) heads towards Russia armed with a missile.
Released at the height of the Cold War, Stanley Kubrick’s *Dr. Strangelove* is the comedic flip side of *A House of Dynamite* and the tonal opposite to another 1964 thriller, *Fail Safe*. This pitch-black satire highlights the absurdity of nuclear armageddon, asking: what kind of creature would knowingly build the instrument of its own destruction? The answer: us.
The film earned Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Director, Actor (Sellers), and Adapted Screenplay, a rare feat for comedies. Kubrick’s classic remains a must-watch for its sharp humor and chilling message.
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**3. Fail Safe (1964)**
At a nuclear weapons strategy conference, a system malfunction leads to an inadvertent attack on Moscow. President of the United States (Henry Fonda) scrambles efforts to recall the planes, but Colonel Jack Grady (Edward Binns) continues the mission, suspecting a Soviet trick.
*Fail Safe* delivers tense procedural drama charting the desperate attempts to avoid nuclear catastrophe. Unlike *Dr. Strangelove*, it adopts a grim, realistic tone. Shot in black-and-white with a near-documentary style, director Sidney Lumet imagines a nightmare scenario where safeguards meant to protect us instead cause our doom.
Much like Kathryn Bigelow’s approach in *A House of Dynamite*, *Fail Safe* asks difficult questions about how close humanity dances with disaster.
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**4. The Hunt for Red October (1990)**
Soviet submarine Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery) seizes control of the Red October, a submersible with stealth capabilities. When the U.S. detects the sub heading towards its east coast, fears of a nuclear attack arise. CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) suspects Ramius plans to defect rather than attack and boards the submarine to uncover his motives before a pre-emptive strike is launched.
Like *A House of Dynamite*, this film explores government efforts to decipher the intentions behind a potential nuclear threat. Adapted from Tom Clancy’s bestseller and directed by John McTiernan, it’s a compelling, high-stakes thriller that asks whether striking first is ever justified.
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**5. Miracle Mile (1988)**
Jazz pianist Harry Washello (Anthony Edwards) falls for waitress Julie Peters (Mare Winningham). After their whirlwind afternoon, they plan to meet again at midnight. When Julie doesn’t show, Harry tries calling her but instead intercepts a frantic warning of an imminent nuclear attack on Los Angeles.
While *A House of Dynamite* focuses on the government and military perspective, *Miracle Mile* emphasizes the civilian experience. Harry and Julie’s ordinary lives amplify the desperation of facing overwhelming tragedy.
Director Steve De Jarnatt keeps the audience in suspense about whether the threat is real or a hoax—mirroring how average people would experience such terror. At its heart, *Miracle Mile* is a love story disrupted by looming catastrophe, highlighting the human cost of nuclear weapons.
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**6. Oppenheimer (2023)**
As World War II grips the world, physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) joins the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb. Working around the clock at Los Alamos, the team creates a weapon deployed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending the war.
Haunted by the destruction caused, Oppenheimer speaks out against the arms race, clashing with AEC Chairman Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), who uses Oppenheimer’s past communist ties to revoke his security clearance.
Towards the film’s end, Oppenheimer tells Albert Einstein (Tom Conti) he fears having sparked a chain reaction that could end the world—a moment echoed in *A House of Dynamite*. Christopher Nolan’s epic underscores the terrifying power of nuclear weapons and the consequences of wielding them.
*Oppenheimer* won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, Actor (Murphy), and Supporting Actor (Downey Jr.).
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**7. The Package (1989)**
Army Special Forces Master Sergeant Johnny Gallagher (Gene Hackman) is reassigned after a deadly incident in West Berlin. Tasked with bringing court-martialed Sgt. Walter Henke (Tommy Lee Jones) back to the U.S., Gallagher discovers Henke is an assassin trying to prevent a nuclear disarmament treaty between the U.S. and Soviet Union.
Despite the Cold War’s end, the film explores lingering tensions and the military’s resistance to disarmament, echoing sentiments voiced by Tracy Letts’ character in *A House of Dynamite*. Directed by Andrew Davis, *The Package* is a fast-paced thriller about shadowy forces working to keep the war machine running.
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**8. Seven Days in May (1964)**
After signing a nuclear disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union, U.S. President Jordan Lyman (Fredric March) faces political enemies. Among them is General James Mattoon Scott (Burt Lancaster), who plots a military coup. USMC Colonel Martin “Jiggs” Casey (Kirk Douglas) discovers the conspiracy and warns Lyman, setting off a tense cat-and-mouse game.
The film mirrors the tense final act of *A House of Dynamite*, portraying a president struggling to do the right thing amid overpowering pressure and limited control.
Director John Frankenheimer examines the dangerous implications of the nuclear arms race and the fight for power behind the scenes.
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**9. The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965)**
British MI6 agent Alec Leamas (Richard Burton) is recalled from Berlin and staged as a disgraced drinker to infiltrate East German intelligence. He romancers Nan Perry (Claire Bloom), gaining trust with Soviet agents to gather information. However, he becomes a pawn discarded by his own government.
Based on John le Carré’s novel and directed by Martin Ritt, the film is a dark, cynical look at Cold War espionage. Like Rebecca Ferguson’s character in *A House of Dynamite*, Leamas is devoted to protecting the world but pays a high personal price.
Burton received an Oscar nomination for his powerful performance filled with sorrow and regret.
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**10. WarGames (1983)**
High schooler David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) hacks into a military supercomputer simulating nuclear war with the Soviet Union, mistakenly triggering a false alarm that could lead to real conflict. Together with his girlfriend Jennifer Mack (Ally Sheedy) and AI expert Dr. Stephen Falken (John Wood), David races to prevent disaster.
Throughout *A House of Dynamite*, uncertainty looms over whether the missile launch is real or a mistake. Similarly, *WarGames* explores how modern technology and human error could inadvertently start World War III.
A blend of thrilling suspense and teen comedy, John Badham’s film was nominated for Oscars for its screenplay, cinematography, and sound. It provokes reflection on the dangers of rapidly advancing technology in warfare.
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Whether you prefer intense military dramas, sharp satires, or human-focused thrillers, these films provide varied perspectives on the terrifying reality of nuclear war — a theme that continues to resonate today, just as *A House of Dynamite* powerfully reminds us.
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