Review | Netflix movie review: Outside the Wire – science fiction actioner stars Anthony Mackie as a military cyborg

Mackie plays a compassionate killing machine who is partnered with Damson Idris’ cold-hearted marine to track down a terrorist leader

Any deeper meaning is soon discarded for generic race-against-time thrills, with some underwhelming fist fights and shoot-outs thrown in

Reading Time:2 minutes

Anthony Mackie (left) and Damson Idris in a scene from Outside the Wire, directed by Mikael Hafstrom. Photo: Jonathan Prime/Netflix

Published: 10:15pm, 21 Jan 2021Updated: 9:03pm, 22 Jan 2021

2.5/5 stars

Since Anthony Mackie took on the role of Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his promotion to leading man status has seen him front a number of mid-level thrillers, often with a strong science fiction element. Outside the Wire continues this trend, with Mackie playing military cyborg Captain Leo, stationed in a Balkans hot zone some 15 years in the future.

Unlike the robot “Gumps” who are deployed alongside regular US infantry, Leo is an advanced biotech prototype equipped with an intuitive and empathetic personality. This is more than can be said for Harp (Damson Idris), a disgraced drone pilot assigned to Leo as punishment for defying orders and willingly sacrificing two fellow marines.

Together they are tasked with tracking down Pilou Asbæk’s terrorist leader before he can take possession of an abandoned Soviet missile silo.

Directed by Mikael Hafstrom, Outside the Wire exhaustively lays out the political and technological landscape of its futuristic world, as conceived by video game creator Rob Yescombe.