Kathryn Bigelow Defends ‘House of Dynamite’ accuracy Amid Pentagon Dispute
LOS ANGELES – Director Kathryn Bigelow is responding to criticism from the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) regarding the depiction of missile defense systems in her new Netflix film, House of Dynamite. The MDA acknowledged the filmS fictional interceptors missed their target – a plot point intended for dramatic effect – but asserted real-world US missile interceptors have maintained a “100% accuracy rate in testing for more than a decade.”
However, this claim has been disputed by external agencies and experts, including former journalist Mark Oppenheim, who “respectfully disagree[s]” with the MDA’s assessment. Nuclear physicist Laura Grego, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, pointed out to Bloomberg that the film’s scenario presented a relatively simple threat compared to the complexities of potential real-world attacks involving multiple ICBMs, decoys, and direct attacks on defense systems.
Bigelow, in an interview with The Guardian, emphasized the film’s independence, stating her team sought no Pentagon endorsement. “Our nuclear armoury is a fallible structure,” she said. “Within it are men and women working thanklessly behind the scenes, whose competence means you and I can sit and have this conversation. But competence doesn’t mean they’re infallible.”
The film, which has topped Netflix charts and been viewed by over 20 million accounts in its first three days, aims to spark dialog about nuclear proliferation. “In a perfect world, culture has the potential to drive policy,” Bigelow stated, “and if there’s dialogue around the proliferation of nuclear weapons, that is music to my ears, certainly.” She highlighted the urgency of addressing the existence of approximately 12,000 nuclear weapons globally, calling the current environment “combustible.”
The US currently operates 44 ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California, and is slated to receive a new generation of missiles from Northrop Grumman by 2029 following a $13.3 billion contract awarded in 2020. The debate surrounding House of Dynamite also comes after former President Donald Trump proposed a “Golden Dome” missile defense system featuring space-based weapons in May.
