James Cameron defends Kathryn Bigelow's controversial ending in 'A House of Dynamite'

James Cameron is standing firmly behind Kathryn Bigelow after her latest film, A House of Dynamite, sparked heated debate among Netflix viewers.

The movie stars Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Jared Harris, and Greta Lee.

The military thriller dramatizes how the U.S. government might respond to a nuclear attack.

The film builds toward what appears to be the destruction of Chicago but stops short of showing the expected mushroom cloud.

The ambiguous ending left audiences divided.

Netizens flooded the comment section by complaints, labelling it “the worst movie ever.”

Avatar: Fire and Ash director, however, insisted the conclusion was the only possible one.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he revealed that he told Bigelow over dinner, “I utterly defend that ending.”

He compared it to Frank R. Stockton’s classic short story The Lady, or the Tiger? where readers are left uncertain about the outcome.

“The point is: From the moment the scenario began at minute zero when the missile was launched and detected, the outcome already sucked. There was no good outcome,” Cameron explained.

“We cannot countenance these weapons existing at all. And it all boils down to one guy in the American system, the president, who is the only person allowed to launch a nuclear strike... The lives of every person on the planet revolve around that one person.”

The Titanic filmmaker emphasized that the film’s unsettling finale was meant to remind audiences of the real-world stakes.

Quoting War Games, he added, “The only way to win is not to play.”