The premise of the movie doesn't make any sense. There is no pressure to retaliate to a single nuclear missile launched at Chicago within the 18 minute flight of the missile. The only scenario that introduces a minutes-long decision window is if the US nuclear capability is in imminent danger, which it obviously is not from a single missile headed for Chicago. What any person not following a Hollywood script would do is wait few hours for credible intelligence, coordinate with other nuclear powers to avoid escalation, and wipe out whoever conducted the attack. Its a movie that only works if you don't think about it, which is a major problem because it is trying to be thought provoking.

> Real life isnt a Tom Clancy novel. Jack Ryan wont save the day.

What made this movie suspenseful* for me was not how realistic it was, but how only half of it was realistic and the other half was completely disconnected from reality. A random incoming nuke of unknown origin, I can easily buy that happening. A deliberative process among highly competent officials deciding on a response, sorry but that is just not real life. Maybe it was at some point in our past, but certainly not in 2025.

As for the ending, it felt like a cop-out to me, but it didn't really matter to me.

*suspenseful, but not good.