Late in “A House of Dynamite,” Gen. Anthony Brady (Tracy Letts), a senior official with United States Strategic Command, is trying to talk the president (Idris Elba) into nuking every single one of America’s enemies.

The retaliation comes in response to a lone missile sent by an unknown assailant that, in just a few minutes, will strike Chicago, wiping out the entire city’s population in a matter of seconds. The president is having a hard time fathoming the possibility of blowing up innocent people (slightly hard to believe given this country’s militaristic past, but I’ll allow it for now), particularly when they don’t know who sent the missile and why.

“This is insanity,” the president says. “No sir,” responds Brady, a cold, resolute look on his face. “This is reality.”

That exchange a

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