Netflix’s stressful but divisive new thriller movie is topping the streaming charts

JOE are big fans of the new star-studded Netflix thriller currently causing a stir on social media.

The movie follows the various sections of the United States Government as they scramble to respond to a single, unattributed nuclear missile being launched at the country.

Its story is told in non-chronological order, depicting the same sequence three times from different perspectives: the White House Situation Room (led by Rebecca Ferguson, Dune), the US Department of Defense (represented by Gabriel Basso and Tracy Letts) and finally, the US President (Idris Elba, Luther).

Written by Noah Oppenheim (Zero Day), the film's ensemble cast also includes Anthony Ramos (In the Heights), Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Wire), Greta Lee (Tron: Ares), Jared Harris (Chernobyl), Jason Clarke (Murdaugh: Death in the Family), Jonah Hauer-King (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Moses Ingram (Ambulance), Renée Elise Goldsberry (She-Hulk) and Willa Fitzgerald (Strange Darling).

An extremely tense and frighteningly believable depiction of the real-time response to a possibly apocalyptic event, A House of Dynamite is a hugely effective cautionary tale.

In Bigelow's movie, the United States is shown to have prepared ahead of time several protocols and responses, in case such a nightmare scenario were ever to occur.

Yet, all these plans are ultimately revealed to be ineffective in combating the nuclear missile or preventing catastrophic mass casualties.

In fact, the takeaway from A House of Dynamite is that the only way to truly rule out the chance of Earth's nuclear annihilation is if all countries join together to commit to complete nuclear disarmament.

While the movie has been well-reviewed for the most part by critics (78% on Rotten Tomatoes), many Netflix viewers have taken to social media to complain about the film's open-ended finale, finding it unsatisfying.

We'd argue at JOE that if A House of Dynamite turned the horrific situation all of its characters are trying to avoid into a spectacle, it might undercut the message of the film: that a nuclear attack or a nuclear war should be avoided at all costs.

By boldly eschewing clear resolution, the movie and the dilemmas and ideas it presents linger longer with the viewer.

Audience criticism of A House of Dynamite's conclusion has done little to dampen the thriller's streaming success.

The movie topped Netflix's global movie chart for this week, as well as the JustWatch film streaming chart for Ireland and the UK.

A House of Dynamite is streaming on Netflix now.