Kathryn Bigelow’s latest film A House of Dynamite has proved a massive success for Netflix, holding onto the UK’s number one position for most-watched film on the streaming service.
The political thriller has sparked countless questions among viewers regarding the ending, alongside the numerous technical terms used throughout as America faces the brink of nuclear catastrophe.
A House of Dynamite depicts the 18 minutes following a missile strike on the USA through three distinct perspectives: The White House Situation Room, The United States Strategic Command and ultimately The President himself. The synopsis states: “When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.”
The film has garnered widespread critical acclaim, with Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus stating: “Playing out a nightmare scenario with nerve-wracking plausibility, Kathryn Bigelow’s masterfully-constructed A House of Dynamite is an urgent thriller that’s as distressing as it is riveting.”
One specific scene in the movie that has captivated audiences, though, occurs when circumstances escalate to DEFCON 2, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The phrase DEFCON stands for Defense Readiness Condition and represents the U.S. military’s classification system for defence preparedness against a possible nuclear strike, according to Military.com.
This classification framework was established during the Cold War era when anti-communist sentiment reached its zenith. DEFCON 5 signifies the lowest perceived threat, whilst DEFCON 1 represents the highest level of threat.
DEFCON 2 indicates that the USA is one step away from nuclear war and is implemented when an enemy strike is anticipated, with troops ready for combat.
The term used for the DEFCON 2 exercise is “Fast Pace”, and during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, parts of the military were at DEFCON 2. This was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war.
*Warning: This part of the article contains spoilers for A House of Dynamite. *.
In A House of Dynamite, we meet Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson), who is employed as an officer in the White House Situation Room on what appears to be another typical day in Washington D. C.
However, the situation quickly changes when we discover that a missile is headed towards the Midwest.
After consulting with her boss, the Secretary of Defence and eventually the President himself, the large indicator on the wall shifts from DEFCON 4 to DEFCON 2, illustrating the escalating threat.
We then witness the launch of two interceptor missiles, with the first one malfunctioning and the second one missing its target.
There is a chilling moment where we see a countdown clock in the Situation Room read: “SAFE ESCAPE TIME 0:00:00.”
With no remaining options, it is at this point that the level is raised to DEFCON 1, indicating that nuclear war is imminent.
A House of Dynamite is available to watch now on Netflix.