Since its release, A House of Dynamite has triggered its own fallout over how accurately the film depicts the government’s immediate response to a nuclear attack of unknown origin. Could a missile fired from the Pacific really reach Chicago in just 18 minutes? Is the decision to retaliate solely in the president’s hands?
In particular, the Pentagon has challenged the film’s suggestion that US-launched interceptor missiles have only a 61% success rate at shooting down incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles, insisting that the real figure is 100% in testing. (The nonprofit Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation puts it even lower than the film, at 55%.)
