“Outside the Wire” is one of those Netflix action pics that, while perfectly serviceable, never ventures beyond its genre perimeter.
Coming to the streaming service Jan. 15, the futuristic war caper is generous with brutal combat and barely adequate on the visual effects front. Its two stars — the always reliable Anthony Mackie (Marvel's Falcon, that great “Striking Vipers” episode of “Black Mirror”) and British up-and-comer Damson Idris (“Farming,” another “Black Mirror” gem, “Smithereens”) — give the material more solid commitment than it's probably worth. But they're definitely a plus, and this thing would be flavorless without them.
Set in 2036 Ukraine where the Russians are still trying to take over and the U.S. has deployed a huge “peacekeeping” force, “Wire” starts out with Idris' drone pilot, Lt. Thomas Harp, remotely blasting an enemy target while snacking in his safe Nevada bunker. A couple of Marines are killed by his action, though many more were saved, so naturally he has to be punished by getting sent to the war zone.
Upon arrival behind the wire (the secured American base), Harp's warned that his new C.O. is “not like us.” Captain Leo (Mackie) initially seems OK, though. He likes to cuss and joke around, and wants Harp to help him on a refugee aid mission with, maybe, a little cloak-and-dagger element to it. This sounds a lot cooler than what the Lt. was expecting, but he points out that he has absolutely no special field agent training.
“Don't worry, I'm special enough for both of us,” Leo responds as his body starts to shimmer, then reveals the metal substructure underneath his Fourth Gen Biotec skin. Leo is like a fighting version of the Michael Fassbender android in recent “Alien” movies. He's far more advanced than the Gumps that both sides deploy, which resemble uglier versions of the bulky machine warriors RoboCop used to deal with.
Leo constantly learns and applies human behavior to himself, and can think beyond his programming. This makes him a great negotiator in sticky situations. It also means he could have an agenda of his own, which becomes a more disturbing notion as Harp observes what a ruthlessly efficient killer his partner can be, and the android keeps pushing both of them further not just outside the wire, but off the reservation.
For his part, Harp naturally finds himself appalled by the brutality of war on the ground, and inevitably in the path of the kind of drone strike he used to unleash. This makes him feel bad for a minute, before the next action beat has to be hit.
Harp does get a good line when Leo asks his African-American subordinate if he wants to know why the Pentagon made their first synthetic soldier Black.
Rated R: For strong violence and language throughout
Running time: 115 minutes
Where: Begins streaming Jan. 15 on Netflix
**1/2 (out of 5)
“Didn't want to ask,” the lieutenant replies. “Might be robotist.”
Don't expect more pointed wit.
Leo, by the way, feels things, pain included. When Harp wonders out loud why all this pointless mayhem occurs, the boss snaps back, “Maybe humans aren't emotional enough, Lieutenant.”
That's the depth of philosophical probing here - and since we've already referenced his work, hasn't this “Can androids be more human than people?” question been brought up in every second or third Ridley Scott production of the past 40 years? Borrowing from other sources, “Wire's” debate about sacrificing some lives to save more reaches grander proportions, and a bevy of different factions are introduced so that we may ponder if any side in a war can really be good.
For a minute. Before the next action beat.
Director Mikael Håfström has a load of generic genre films - “Escape Plan,” “1408,” “Derailed” - under his belt. I guess you could say he was a good choice, then, to continue the watchable, slightly meaningful, distinctiveness-challenged shoot 'em up “tradition” Netflix has been building with the likes of “Bright,” “The Old Guard” and “Extraction.” It's entertaining enough, but you wish it had something quirkier, more messily human, more imaginatively drawn outside the lines to it.
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January 13, 2021 at 03:11PM
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Netflix’s ‘Outside the Wire’ never gets outside the box - Houston Chronicle
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