The Pentagon has publicly criticized Netflix's new thriller "A House of Dynamite" for its portrayal of US missile defense systems, sparking a rare public dispute between military officials and Hollywood filmmakers.
An internal Missile Defense Agency memo obtained by Bloomberg takes issue with scenes showing American interceptor missiles failing to stop an incoming nuclear strike. The agency states that real-world testing shows US missile defense systems "have displayed a 100% accuracy rate in testing for more than a decade."
The film depicts a scenario where ground-based interceptors launched from Alaska fail to stop a nuclear strike on Chicago. In one scene, a character claims US missile defenses have only a 50-50 interception chance. The Pentagon stated the film "does not reflect the views or priorities of this administration."
Writer Defends Film's Accuracy
Film writer Noah Oppenheim, former president of NBC News, has responded firmly to the criticism. He "respectfully disagree[s]" with the Pentagon's assessment, stating "What we show in the movie is accurate." Oppenheim cited "many missile defence experts, all on the record" who describe the US missile defense system as "highly imperfect."
Director Kathryn Bigelow, who won an Oscar for "The Hurt Locker," deliberately avoided Pentagon consultation during production to maintain creative independence. The film currently holds the number one spot on Netflix UK and has earned a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Nuclear policy expert Laura Grego from the Union of Concerned Scientists noted that the film's threat scenario represented "arguably about as easy as they come" for missile defense systems, suggesting real-world challenges would be far more complex than the movie depicts.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
