Minute's weight

A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE Cert 15 ★★★★ In cinemas now and streaming on Netflix from October 24

- with DAMON SMITH

What could you achieve in 19 minutes? Hang up a load of laundry, do the washing up... how about make an informed decision about whether to launch a targeted nuclear strike that will snuff out most of mankind?

A House Of Dynamite is an electrifying thriller that imagines an unexpected ballistic missile attack from somewhere in the Pacific, aimed directly at Chicago.

Some 10 million Americans will die from the initial impact, and wind direction will decide casualty figures from the fallout. The President (Idris Elba) has precious minutes to decide on his country's response with input from advisers including Secretary of Defence Reid Baker (Jared Harris) and Captain Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson).

Knocking the payload out of the sky is a coin toss.