Netflix’s latest thriller, A House of Dynamite, may have garnered positive reviews upon its release, but the film has also drawn criticism from the Pentagon. Representatives from the US Department of Defense recently issued a memo questioning the authenticity of the events showcased in the new Kathryn Bigelow movie, prompting a response from the film’s screenwriter, Noah Oppenheim.
Pentagon disputes the accuracy of A House of Dynamite
On October 16, Pentagon officials released an official document to highlight the “false assumptions” made in Netflix’s A House of Dynamite movie, as per Bloomberg.
Issued to “provide correct facts and a better understanding” of the current system, the memo noted that the depiction of the US military’s missile defense system in the movie was far from the actual truth. Notably, the movie mentioned that the military’s current interception technology can only function with 61% efficiency. In accordance, the interception system fails to stop a nuclear missile in the film.
Nevertheless, as per the memo, the said system has “displayed a 100% accuracy rate in testing for more than a decade,” in actuality.
The Pentagon document also acknowledged the creative liberty that A House of Dynamite has license to take, stating that “the fictional interceptors in the movie miss their target and we understand this is intended to be a compelling part of the drama intended for the entertainment of the audience.”
A House of Dynamite screenwriter responds to Pentagon’s criticism
A House of Dynamite’s writer, Noah Oppenheim, has issued his own counter to the Pentagon’s criticism.
“I’m not a missile defense expert, but I did talk to many missile defense experts who were all on the record. We just asked them a ton of questions,” Oppenheim told MSNBC, before adding, “So what you see on screen is hopefully a fairly accurate portrait of the reality that exists.”
“Unfortunately, our missile defense system is highly imperfect. If the Pentagon wants to have a conversation about improving it or what the next step might be in keeping all of us safer, that’s the conversation we want to have. But what we show in the movie is accurate,” Oppenheim concluded.
Additionally, Bigelow admitted on CBS Sunday Morning‘s October 12 episode, that even though her team did not work with the military in order to be “more independent,” they consulted with “multiple tech advisers who have worked in the Pentagon” while making the film.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on ComingSoon.
