A House of Dynamite: Noah Oppenheim Discusses Nuclear Warfare and Our Lack Of Preparedness

When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to best respond. With only minutes to decide before an anticipated impact, the premise for A House Of Dynamite is acute. The film stars Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson and Gabriel Basso.

In a spirited discussion about A House of Dynamite, screenwriter Noah Oppenheim delves the film’s underlying themes and the frightening realities of nuclear warfare and how little we are prepared for such an event. He mines the film’s nail-biting suspense as multiple consequential choices need to be made within thirty minutes before missile impact.

“I was on the edge of my seat. That was as close to a horror movie as I’ve seen ever,” Oppenheimer claims when he was writing the screenplay. When probed about his film inspirations, particularly Dr. Strangelove, he confesses that it was his “favorite movie of all time. I’ve watched it dozens of times.”

Noah Oppenheim’s Love for Nuclear War Films

Oppenheim enjoyed a previous successful career as the president of NBC News and was responsible for the network’s programming, editorial units, expanding digital properties and its bureaus around the world. He is also known for writing Jackie and Maze Runner, but his true love lies in the specific genre of “nuclear war movies.” The screenwriter cites War Games, Fail Safe, and Crimson Tide as further key cinematic influences for A House Of Dynamite.

Oppenheim’s attraction to such a targeted genre is intriguing; it allows him to delve into the absurdities of life-threatening circumstances, often using dark humor as a contrasting lens through which to explore extremely serious themes.

Oppenheim’s Unique Background in News Journalism

Drawing from his distinctive background, Oppenheim’s journey into filmmaking was deeply influenced by his previous career in journalism which affords him a unique circle of friends and associates. “I have a former life as a journalist. I ran NBC News for many years.” This experience proved essential as he collaborated with Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty) to craft a narrative based on the potential consequences of nuclear warfare. “Kathryn wanted to tell a story about what would happen if a nuclear missile was ever launched at the United States and do some research into what that might look like.”

Noah Oppenheim & Kathryn Bigelow

To ensure the utmost accuracy in the film, Oppenheim reached out to a friend with substantial knowledge and experience in national security. “I called a buddy of mine who had been a Chief of Staff to a Secretary of Defense.” This connection allowed them to portray valuable insights into the protocols surrounding nuclear crises. As Oppenheim recalls, ‘We asked him, what are the protocols for a situation like this? What happens in the White House, at the Pentagon, in Strategic Command? He started walking us through all of it.’”

The filmmakers got access to the Situation Room, the Battle Deck and the U.S. Strategic Command in Omaha, Nebraska.

Two main revelations arose from this discussion that left a lasting impression on Oppenheim.

“The amount of time it would take for an ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) to hit the United States if it’s launched from the Pacific Theater is less than 30 minutes. If it’s ever launched by a Russian sub off our coast, it could be 8 to 12 minutes.” Oppenheim’s voice reflect the gravity of these figures as he emphasizes, “Our entire government would have less than 30 minutes, best-case scenario, to figure out what was happening and to mount its response.”

The Genesis of A House of Dynamite

As the conversation evolved, Oppenheim discusses the genesis of the film. “It started with a phone call from the agency CAA. They called me and said, Kathryn Bigelow, who I’d never met before, has an idea for a movie that she wants to talk to you about.” His excitement and anxiety was palpable as he describes the thrill of receiving such a call from such a great director. Bigelow and Oppenheim broke the story initial together.

The research phase accounted for the most time during the development process. Kathryn Bigelow wanted every scene to be as grounded in reality as possible. The crew was fortunate to have multiple techinical advisors on set even while filming.

Apart from ensuring the accuracy of the nuclear protocols, another challenge for Oppenheim was balancing the human and the procedural aspects of the story. “Because we wanted to tell the story in real time, and you wanted that clock ticking as quickly as possible, you only had a few moments before the launch to set up who these people are, and then you had to find the moments to develop their stories. It all boiled down to protecting your family and loved ones,” he notes.

Captain Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson) Photo by Eros Hoagland/ Netflix

Gallows Humor in the Film

Amidst this use of humor, Oppenheim brings attention to a particular line from A House Of Dynamite.

He recounts, “There’s one particular line of dialogue in this that just chilled me… when the guy with the football says, ‘Your options are rare, medium, and well done.’”  The screenwriter confesses that he didn’t originate that line. “It’s the language that they use when discussing the menu of options that gets carried around. They refer to it as a ‘Denny’s diner menu’ or a ‘Chinese restaurant menu.’”

The dark humor embedded in the film is something Oppenheim considers critically important. He comments on the need for those dealing with such grave matters of national security to emotionally detach themselves from actual events. “To do a job like that, you’ve got to divorce yourself from the reality of what you’re talking about.” He reflects on the moral implications of the choices presented in the story, acknowledging the grim truth, “Any one of those options are absolutely horrible.”

The Alarming Nature of Rapid Decision-Making

Perhaps even more alarming was what Oppenheim learned about the decision-making structure of nuclear protocols. “In the United States, and this is true of several nuclear powers, we have a nuclear monarchy. The president has sole authority to decide what to do with our nuclear missiles.” This concept deeply unsettled the writer, prompting further questions about current preparations in place for such crises. “We asked how often does the president prepare for this? He’s only going to have a matter of five, six minutes to decide.”

Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington (Gabriel Basso) Photo by Eros Hoagland/ Netflix

The answer left Oppenheim shaken. “The President of the United States never prepares. He gets one briefing when he takes office where they explain the military aid, the football, and how the equipment works. After that, they never drill for it ever again.” Ronald Reagan was the last U.S. president to participate in a nuclear decision-making drill.

As the dialogue progressed, Oppenheim juxtaposes the fictional characters in the film with the real-life implications of their roles. “The fictional adults who are handling the situation all seem incredibly competent, and the President seems like a rational human being,” he says.

The screenwriter also drew parallels with historical events, particularly the Cuban Missile Crisis, remarking, “I remember reading the book, ’13 Days,’ about the Cuban Missile Crisis and how John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy and that whole team were literally, minute by minute, analyzing the information and deciding what their move was.”

Oppenheim deliberately chose a rational, well-intentioned, thoughtful POTUS for A House Of Dynamite, rather than a TV President displaying heroics. He wanted to display how he would respond under such intense pressure. It’s a no-win sitution. Sadly, Secretary of Defense Reid Baker (Jared Harris) succumbed to the situation of minimizing the loss of human lives rather than preventing it by taking his own life.

The ending A House Of Dynamite is stark, but effective – a simple cut to black. The filmmakers were adamant that audiences didn’t want the final scenes to show the earth engulfed in mushroom clouds. “Kathryn was very clear from the beginning that she wanted the movie to be a provocation. She wanted to get people really deeply uncomfortable in the hopes that they would then walk out of the experience and want to engage in a dialogue and draw more attention to the issue.”

“It could happen at any moment. And we should all ask ourselves, ‘Is that the kind of world we want to live in? Is this the system that we want in place?’ And so maybe people get uncomfortable enough that they try to do something about it.”

A House Of Dynamite elicits a visceral response, urging viewers contemplate the grim possibilities of real-life scenarios they may have otherwise considered too absurd, distant, and overwhelming to fathom. On a deeper level, the entire issue of a nuclear arms race, and humanity’s propensity to destroy itself with the push of a button, speaks spine-tingling volumes. This is the first time since 1945 where we have the capacity to end humanity.

U.S Strategic Command practices drills over 400 times per year. But how would they really react in an actual attack?

by Staff Writer

From our in-house editorial team.