Exterritorial Review: In this Netflix action-thriller film, ex-soldier Sara decides to stay illegally inside the premises of the US Consulate after her son disappears. However, what she didn’t know was that this would open up a whole can of worms, entangling her in a dangerous conspiracy.
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Exterritorial Movie Cast
Jeanne Goursaud, Dougray Scott, Lera Abova, Kayode Akinyemi, Annabelle Mandeng, Rickson Guy Da Silva, Rada Rae, Tayo Schaffrath, Kris Saddler, Nina Liu
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Exterritorial Netflix Writer & Director
Christian Zübert
The film has a runtime of 99 minutes.
Exterritorial Review
Netflix’s Exterritorial gives us the impression that our protagonist, ex-soldier Sara, is having a mental breakdown as she suddenly loses her son in the US Consulate. The film makes us doubt her version of events, but with the government involved, you can’t really trust anyone. Soon, her maternal instincts kick in as Sara uses her military training to manoeuvre around the building to search for her son’s whereabouts.
This German film is a clear-cut action thriller with a clear premise and execution. Some people come in and out of Sara’s life to help her in her quest, and then she moves on to find out about Josh. There are some twists and turns and some interesting developments, and, for the most part, the film is quite fun. At some moments, I found myself on the edge of my seat as shocking developments came to light, and although they aren’t that surprising, the film weaves the past with the present well and makes it seem natural.
The US Consulate plays a big part in this mystery; its twisted maze of hallways and rooms makes for a thrilling side-character apart from Sara and Irina, and adds a lot of thrill to the runtime. Apart from that, Sara’s mental and emotional well-being adds a lot of confusion and, eventually, reliability to the storyline as she realises how her past is coming back to attack her future. The set design and camera work are really good and add a lot of thrill to the action-packed storyline.
I found myself on edge in this tense, claustrophobic atmosphere as Sara and Irina had several close calls repeatedly. The film builds the tension well and gives us interesting tidbits that make sense in the overall worldbuilding. Its breakneck pacing is also a fantastic part of its runtime and makes for a swell watch. Even the costume department does a fantastic job — for once, the protagonist wears functional clothes and puts her hair up before going to war and doesn’t just let it fall on her face, creating a mess. It showcases the film’s attention to detail, so kudos to that.
Of course, it’s Jeanne Goursaud who puts the final nail in this fun action film. She’s a fantastic protagonist, strong and vulnerable, and makes us root for her at every moment. Although the movie wants us to doubt her sanity, her personality and the certainty with which she carries herself don’t let us doubt her motivations for a second. Other than her, we have a surprisingly restrained Dougray Scott, whose chilling calmness is unnerving.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Exterritorial is an enjoyable and entertaining action film with fantastic performances. The set and camerawork add to the thrill and excitement, and the twists and turns do a good job of keeping things moving. All in all, this one’s a sure-shot entertainer.
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It’s a consulate – they say so many times. The U.S. Embassy is not in Frankfurt but in Berlin, Germany’s capital, of course.
The storytelling is interesting in this movie and when they underestimated her, things get worse and realizations came after learning what she’s capable of.