Netflix’s Outside the Wire Review: War and Death

Outside the Wire is a sci-fi, action movie directed by Mikael Håfström and starring Anthony Mackie, Damson Idris, Emily Beecham, Michael Kelly, and Pilou Asbæk.

If you’re tired of the mind-numbing amount of war movies that come out every other week on streaming platforms showcasing war and how the US is gonna be the saviour who wins it all, then Outside the Wire might come as a slightly different entertainer. Asking moral questions about the merits of war and death, the action-thriller sets a different precedent, but there’s still more to bring to the table.

Outside the Wire follows US drone pilot Harp who, after a fated decision, is sent to a camp to face what war feels like up close. Teamed up with Col Leo, an officer with a reputation for himself, he must come face to face with the horrors and trials of war when things go very wrong.

Let’s just say that the movie does not bring to the table something absolutely unseen. War movies with similar plots can be found aplenty, but Outside the Wire tries to ask different questions when it comes to its subject matter. The movie does not portray the US as the all-saving entity that most other movies of the same genre make it out to be. Instead, it makes you ask yourself the distinctions between right and wrong and when murdering innocent people becomes ok.

The movie, although getting no points for originality, is still entertaining to the fullest. If you want an action flick that’s constantly go-go-go, then Outside the Wire might just be the one for you. The movie does not waste too much time with mundane dialogues or fluff scenes. It’s either slight exposition or bullets flying everywhere. It keeps you on the edge throughout and is perfect to veg out in front of.

Anthony Mackie and Damson Idris share the brunt of the work here, and the whole movie honestly rests on their shoulders. Outside the Wire makes it very clear that everyone else in the movie doesn’t really matter and although they are there to push the movie forward, it’s these two who do the majority of the heavy work. Mackie, who has been essentially typecast in this role of an action man both in Marvel and outside, is delightful as Leo, a robot (?) on a mission. On the other hand, Idris too is quite delightful and them together is quite the power-packed team.

The production quality of Outside the Wire is gorgeous and the sets look great and realistic. It’s one of the reasons why the movie feels great to watch. Although trying to be an anti-war movie, the huge amount of action, gore and bullets might paint a different picture in people’s minds. It’s a little confusing, I am not gonna lie. However, the dynamic between Leo and Harp is delightful to watch and makes for interesting content.

Summing up: Outside the Wire

Outside the Wire tries to do more than it can handle and thus delivers a confusing tale about war and death. It’s not horrible by any means but it still had a lot of places where it could’ve been better. Probably a clearer end goal would’ve done the movie a favour. However, it is still a decent entertainer and won’t bore you much.

Outside the Wire is streaming on Netflix.

Liked the Outside the Wire review? Read our other reviews here.