A film has emerged that is causing a global divide: Some praise it as a masterpiece, the best of 2025, while others are furious after watching it.

Just under a week after its release, this blockbuster has skyrocketed to the number 1 spot on Netflix worldwide, accompanied by a flood of heated, controversial comments.
“How is this beauty so ageless? A mother of three but looks like an 18-year-old. When you hear her real age, no one believes it.”
“The most hated Vietnamese celebrity right now: Not only talentless but also pretentious, and the best at blind jealousy.”
“I can’t accept that this is Tiểu Yến Tử.”

A House of Dynamite begins with a shocking news: A nuclear missile of unknown origin is launched straight toward U.S. territory. The estimated impact time is in 18 minutes. In that brief span, director Kathryn Bigelow doesn’t opt for the typical “disaster explosion” narrative. Instead, she splits the story into three perspectives: a soldier stationed in Alaska, who detects the signal first; a team of experts at the U.S. national defense command center; and notably, the President of the United States (played by Idris Elba), who must make a life-or-death decision. Rather than focusing on “who launched the missile,” the film centers on the human and systemic response: how people react, become confused, conflicted, and sometimes helpless.

After its release on October 24, A House of Dynamite shot straight to number 1 on the global Netflix chart, surpassing hits like Beckham Season 2 and The Watcher. According to data from the FlixPatrol platform, the film is topping the charts in over 80 markets, including the U.S., the UK, Canada, South Korea, and even Vietnam. Previously, at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, the film made a strong impression, receiving an 11-minute standing ovation.

The remarkable thing about A House of Dynamite is that the film doesn’t scream anti-war, but instead asks a terrifying question: “Do we really control the technology we create?” In the AI era, with automated systems and smart weapons, the line between “defense” and “self-destruction” has never been so fragile.

The performances of the cast have also been widely praised. Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, and Jared Harris each deliver powerful portrayals of inner turmoil. Without many lines of dialogue, their gaze and breath alone are enough to make the audience break into a cold sweat.

The film’s critics from The Guardian have argued that Bigelow reaffirms her status as Hollywood’s “steel director.” “Bigelow has revived a topic humanity continues to avoid – a nuclear attack could actually happen. She makes the audience break into a cold sweat because of that stark truth. No one builds tension like Bigelow. She turns 20 minutes into two hours while keeping the audience on edge.” Meanwhile, film critic Roger Ebert noted: “Bigelow demonstrates absolute brutality and precision in pacing, this may be the film that makes audiences hold their breath the longest in her career.”

However, the film’s ending has sparked fierce debates and many negative reviews. Critics from The New Yorker criticized the film for its lofty ambition but hollow execution: “The characters in the film are like pawns on the director’s chessboard.” The majority of negative comments suggest that A House of Dynamite excels technically but struggles with its storytelling. The stellar performances of the cast save an otherwise unconvincing script. The film’s open-ended conclusion has generated widespread debate. Some viewers feel deceived and disappointed, while others see it as an artistic choice intended to provoke thoughts about the fragility of global stability.

Audience comments on A House of Dynamite:

• The first part is great, but then it starts to repeat itself and drag on.

• I really liked it. The open ending lets the viewer interpret for themselves. That ambiguity really makes you think and keeps the tension alive even after the movie ends.

• The movie makes the audience watch the same story three times with no conclusion about whether the missile explodes, what the president decides, and what the consequences are. What a waste of time.

• I just watched A House of Dynamite. I’m both angry and disappointed. The ending was really anticlimactic and bad.

• The first part is fine, the pacing is okay, but the later part makes me sleepy, and the ending was very underwhelming.

• The movie drags on and feels meaningless. I walked out while the credits were still rolling, but many people stayed hoping for an after-credits scene, which didn’t exist.

• This is one of the best films of 2025. It’s so tense you have to grip the armrest.

• After the ending, I was like: “Wait, is that it???”

• A masterpiece of tension. I couldn’t breathe from the 5th minute until the end of the film.

• Bigelow makes films like placing bombs under the audience’s seats. You can’t look away!

• The ending doesn’t lead anywhere. After two hours, I thought there would be a big twist—then… the movie just ends. It’s so frustrating!