Idris Elba Explains Why His Explosive New Netflix Thriller Left Him Speechless Actorsvaultpro

Idris Elba, the star of one of Netflix’s most anticipated movies of 2025, explains the wild ride that was watching the film for the very first time on the big screen — an experience that left him speechless. Elba plays the President of the United States in A House of Dynamite, the nuclear war thriller directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Early reviews tease a terrifying movie, and judging from Elba’s statement, it’s safe to say that we’re about to get one of the most intense films of the year.

The actor and his co-star in the film, Rebecca Ferguson, spoke to Collider while promoting the political thriller set to be released on October 10. In the film, they are in charge of an operation that deals with the launch of a nuclear missile from an unidentified source. When asked about the experience of watching the very tense thriller, Elba says he was left without words:

“When I watched the film for the first time, it was a good seven minutes afterwards, and I didn’t say a word. I sat in that cinema, super quiet. I couldn’t speak. I just was like, ‘Wow, what on Earth?'”

It is not a coincidence that A House of Dynamite looks like the scariest non-horror movie of the year. After all, the film is made by none other than the Academy Award winner who delivered intense experiences like Zero Dark Thirty and Detroit. Bigelow is one of the few Hollywood directors whose legacy is not proportional to the number of movies she has made, having only directed 12 films since she began her career in 1981.

‘A House of Dynamite’ Is the Return of Hollywood’s Most Underrated Filmmaker

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Kathryn Bigelow’s filmography speaks for itself. Genre films like Strange Days and Near Dark are some of her most notable works. They show the versatility of a visionary filmmaker who always delivers original work in an industry that’s not known for auteurs constantly breaking the rules. However, her action and war films also feel unconventional in Hollywood’s landscape. And it seems like A House of Dynamite will follow that pattern.

The Academy Award-winning director of The Hurt Locker and Point Break returns with a tense political thriller that has been deemed “agonizing to sit through” on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics’ website registers a rating of 89%, but Bigelow’s return is far too exciting to be mindful of reviews. This is Hollywood’s most underrated filmmaker doing what she does best — keep us on the edge of our seats with plausible scenarios that she turns into cinematic roller coasters.

When asked about Bigelow and why she doesn’t make more movies, Ferguson says, “I keep repeating it. I sit there, and I go, “What’s next? What’s next?” Pushing her probably isn’t the way forward. Kathryn just makes movies when she’s ready for it. You just have to be ready for it when they arrive because they will give you a gut punch.” Elba adds, “Yeah, I think audiences should encourage other filmmakers to perhaps dig deeper rather than push Kathryn to make more because she’s going to make what she wants to make in her own time.”