A House of Dynamite ending explained: It's unsettled, and that's why it works

The freshly released Netflix film, A House of Dynamite, has mayhem and dread written all over it. Of course, it ought to do so. After all, it explores a high-stakes plot of how U.S. government officials and the military respond to the detection of an unknown ICBM missile that is about to hit the country.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who previously helmed films like Blue Steel (1990), K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), and The Hurt Locker (2008), this time she presents an apocalyptic political thriller that is sure to raise several unanswered questions in the audience's minds.

At the end of the film, the origins of the unidentified missile, as well as its impact and repercussions, are not shown at all. None of the major questions that the audience has are left unanswered. Yes, it has an undecided ending, or one might even call it 'incomplete.' But that's what actually works for the film.

Keep reading to find out more about the ending of A House of Dynamite, as well as how it actually works.

Here's why the undecided ending of A House of Dynamite actually works

In A House of Dynamite, we witness two major events happening simultaneously: one at the White House and another at a military base camp. In both situations, they panic upon seeing an ICBM missile that is about to attack the country.

Major Daniel Gonzalez and his team at an army base camp in Alaska are the first to find out about the missile. Then, at the White House, we see Captain Olivia Walker and her team working to find a way to stop this disaster. They realize they have only 18 minutes before the missile hits Chicago. Meanwhile, the U.S. President is advised not to take any retaliatory action by Jake Baerington, the U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor.

At the same time, at a separate base camp, officials including General Anthony Brody and his team connect with POTUS and Captain Walker. Unlike Baerington, Brody believes the President must launch a counterattack. Meanwhile, we also learn that the missile's next target is the U.S. capital, Washington D.C.

Various suspicions arose about the missile, such as when Ana Park, the National Security Agency's North Korea expert, informed them that North Korea might have the ability to use a nuclear weapon. Baerington, along with Admiral Mark Miller, also doubts Russia, as they contact their foreign minister. They are met with refusal as well as threats from the minister.

Meanwhile, POTUS feels emotionally overwhelmed by the situation as he is unable to arrive at a definitive decision on how to handle the crisis. The government officials are also shown to deal with their personal crises as well, when Reid Baker, Secretary of Defense, is out to protect his daughter Caroline in Chicago from the impending missile attack, even at the risk of losing his own life.

A House of Dynamite ends just minutes before the missile is about to land. The President, along with Lieutenant Commander Robert Reeves, is assisted in leaving D.C. In Pennsylvania, Ana Park, along with FEMA official Cathy Rogers, takes refuge in an autonomous bunker.

That's it. The film ends on a very tumultuous note. We do not get to know the future of the country. Does the missile even target civilians, or does it turn out to be faulty? What decision does the POTUS ultimately make? And who actually launches the missile? None of these questions have answers.

Because A House of Dynamite is not about uncovering who the enemy is, it doesn't adopt a polarized view of nuclear wars. Instead, this film universalizes feelings of fear, despair, uncertainty, and survival in the face of catastrophe. It doesn't focus on identifying which country attacked whom, but instead raises a bigger question about war and mass destruction itself.

Rather than portraying a heroicized image, A House of Dynamite offers a nuanced, deeper, and more humane perspective on how, ultimately, it is humanity that bears the burden. It also provides a reality check on the desperate situations we're currently facing and how none of us are truly safe from such catastrophic events. This film isn't about giving us ready-made answers; it's about posing the right questions.