The latest work from Kathryn Bigelow—the first female director in Academy Awards history to win Best Director—depicts the tense journey of an unattributed missile heading toward the U.S. mainland on what begins as a peaceful morning. As the White House staff, military generals, and top government officials scramble in confusion, the clock ticks relentlessly, exposing the blatant hegemonic competition in a new Cold War era where there is “no Plan B.” Like The Hurt Locker (2009) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012), A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE delivers a relentless 112 minutes ranging from suffocating urgency to, ultimately, a crushing sense of futility—hallmarks of Bigelow’s signature brand of political thriller. Reflecting the escalating global arms race as an excuse for “the best defense is a good offense,” the film emerges as an astonishingly timely work. (Karen PARK)