Netflix Ramblings Part II: A Review of Outside the Wire

 directed by Mikael Hafstrom

written by Rob Yescome and Rowan Athale

This is now my fourth review of a Netflix film, and my sixth overall, and as with all of the movies I’ve reviewed so far, I clicked this one with a fair bit of optimism.

This time I’m reviewing the sci-fi action film Outside the Wire, produced by and starring Anthony Mackie, better known to filmgoers as the superhero Falcon from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The film also features relative newcomer Damson Idris as its co-lead. 

 

It takes place in the near future, in which a fictional civil war has erupted in Ukraine, with the U.S. forces trying desperately to keep the country, which is being fought over by local freedom fighters and Russian-backed terrorists headed by Viktor Koval (Pilou Asbaek), from tearing itself apart.  Apart from their boots on the grounds, the Americans also deploy robotic soldiers called “Gumps” and air support in the form of drones.

 

The film begins during a skirmish involving the Americans and Koval’s forces, in which drone pilot Harp (Idris) makes a judgment call to take out a truck which he believes contains a missile launcher that could wipe out the entire squad of soldiers on the ground.  Two soldiers die as a result, and Harp’s wings are clipped. As punishment, he is then sent to Camp Nathaniel, the American base in Ukraine where he is put under the command of the mysterious, tough-as-nails Captain Leo (Anthony Mackie), who brings him along on a mysterious mission which turns out to be even more dangerous than Harp could ever possibly have imagined.  Again, Harp finds himself torn between obeying orders and facing down a threat that could destroy the world as he knows it.

I'll give Netflix this much: this movie has really solid production value; unlike the cable TV movies of old that sported bargain-basement special effects, this movie has some rock solid visuals, from the computer-generated imagery to the lived-in set design. In particular I was a big, big fan of the robotic "Gumps" which looked truly fearsome in combat, especially their Russian counterparts. The action choreography is nothing to sneeze at, either; from the gun battles to the bone-crunching fist fights, this is on par with the sort of action one would see in a Jason Bourne movie.  

Also, I've always found Anthony Mackie likable in everything I've seen him in, including  Netflix's own series Altered Carbon, so this was definitely a draw for me. I've liked Anthony Mackie as an actor since I "discovered" him in the little-seen 2006 movie about underground basketball called Crossover.  

Unfortunately, with a script that alternates between muddled and predictable, and a uneven performance from Damson Idris, the film's good points go pretty much to waste.  The dynamic between Harp and Leo is never particularly clear; and swings in a heartbeat from Harp being scared of him to constantly questioning him. Had it been done judiciously, even the film's predictable "twist" could have come off well, but failure to develop it means the twist comes off flat in the end.

Even with topnotch production value, this film ultimately plays out like many of the dystopian future schlockfests with which I used to pass the time on cable TV or while riding "fast craft" boats from one of our beautiful Philippine islands to another.  It's a shame that even with it's pretty suit, it's still just another B-movie.

 

6/10