An explosive movie that reflects on our world and shocks us.

Think back to movies like “Dr. Strangelove” and “Crimson Tide,” and acknowledge the different genres used to explore topics about the real enemy and the real bomb dropper. Now, come back to the real world and think about how history repeats itself, and all the questions you may have about who to trust.

Now, let’s turn over to “A House of Dynamite,” Katheryn Bigalow’s first directing job since “Detroit,” and this is one of those “What If” cases, regarding nuclear strikes and how the White House, FEMA, and the U.S. Army try to handle it. That is if they can handle it. Will our missiles work against the threat? Is the weapon conjured up by A.I.? And will it kill many people? Those are the questions we must think about, and it’s ok to be scared about that. I was in shock after watching this movie at the New York Film Festival, and I was also thinking.

In “A House of Dynamite,” nobody knows who launched the missile. It could be from Russia or North Korea, or it could be as a result of A.I. You know how that has been generating the news lately. Regardless, it’s heading to Chicago or Indianapolis, and it’s only a matter of time before it makes impact.

This is me to the cautionary reader: remember, this just a movie. You’re going to be fine.

The movie’s cast includes Idris Elba as the POTUS, Rebecca Ferguson as the person in charge of the Situation Room, Gabriel Basso as the Deputy National Security Adviser, Jared Harris as the Secretary of Defense, Tracy Letts as a general, Anthony Ramos as a military commander, Moses Ingram as a FEMA official, Greta Lee as the NSA’s North Korea expert, Jonah Hauer-King as a Lt. commander, Renee Elise Goldsberry as the First Lady, and Jason Clarke as the Situation Room official.

We see this movies from three different angles up to the point when it’s up to the President about whether to “surrender or suicide.” Whether we’re talking about offices, zoom meetings, or the Oval Office, there’s a lot of tension within the characters and their fears of what may be happening. Some of them even have loved ones who may be in grave danger.

It’s probably for the best that “A House of Dynamite” will play at a few select theaters and premiere on Netflix later on. It’s all about the delicate constitution of the audience. Can they handle this dramatization? It’s not my call, but some may and some may not. Whether we’re talking about missiles or attacks on some of our cities and states, these are dark times. Maybe it’s always been dark times. But whether you choose to see it or not, I respect you readers.

Through my standpoint, Bigelow and screenwriter Noah Oppenheim (“The Maze Runner,” “Jackie”) both carefully craft a tense and haunting nuclear thriller with a terrific cast who might even be as scared and stressed as their characters. There are no guarantees and no easy ways out. That’s how the film wants to go for realism. It might as well be labeled a horror movie if it regards a missile that not even a heat seeker can take out at this point.

Kirk Baxter’s (“The Social Network,” “Gone Girl”) editing and Barry Ackroyd’s (Bigelow’s collaborator on “The Hurt Locker” and “Detroit”) both set the camera angles and lighting on the situation. Things are spinning out of control, as there are questions and comments, and everyone trying to figure out who sent the missile and what to do about it. Even the POTUS’ reaction looks riveting. And the score by Volker Bertelmann (the Oscar winner for “All Quiet on the Western Front”) vibrates from the opening black shot to the end credits.

I can’t give out any more answers, but “A House of Dynamite” is one of the year’s best films for resonating with films that raise important questions in a repeating cycle.

In Select Theaters This Friday

Streaming on Netflix October 24