Outside the Wire: Inside the Lines

Despite some artistic flourishes and interesting concepts, the Anthony Mackie and Damson Idris sci-fi actioner ends up painting its picture with some very familiar broad strokes

It's officially 2021 and the dust has settled on a rather disastrous year for the North American box office. Receipts totaled a "paltry" $2.2 billion dollars, down roughly 80% from 2019's estimated $11.4 billion (2015-2018 also had at least $11 billion in ticket sales). The reason for such a dramatic drop is quite obvious. With theaters across the country shuttering for months at a time, studios were forced to pull their heaviest hitters off the table and with no mega blockbusters like "Avengers: Endgame" on the docket, 2020 simply couldn't stack up. However, standing in the gap has been Netflix. While most mid-level and big-budget action-adventure films shifted their release dates to this year or beyond, the most ubiquitous name in streaming has supplied viewers with a steady diet of serviceable mid-tier action fare. "Outside the Wire" is no different.

Set in the not too distant future, Damson Idris ("Snowfall") portrays a proficiently skilled yet emotionally detached drone pilot named Lt. Thomas Harp. After disobeying a direct order, he finds himself on the outs with his unit and thrust onto the battlefield under Captain Leo (Mackie). Unbeknownst to most, Leo is a state-of-the-art android prototype with his own unique set of protocols. Together, they embark on what's framed as a simple mission, but it inevitably becomes more complicated the further they venture on. It also features Emily Beecham, Michael Kelly and Pilou Asbæk.

In terms of spectacle, the sci-fi thriller offers a number of solid setpieces. After a lengthy run through the MCU and dabbling in other projects, Mackie knows his way around action. He's convincing as a robotic solider and Idris looks the part as the young hotshot. While the two have chemistry, the screenplay by Rob Yescombe and Rowan Athale doesn't give them much to work with. The script relegates the movie to a predictable action flick with unrealized potential. While the film touches upon some complex ethical dilemmas surrounding war, it never fully engages or fleshes them out. The plot is standard issue as well, right down to featuring Hollywood's favorite cliched villains (Russians and Ukrainians). Director Mikael Håfström (known for thrillers like "1408", "The Rite" and the Oscar-nominated "Evil") shows a steady hand behind the camera, even though his action scenes rely too heavily on fast cutting. The film ultimately falls short of accomplishing its mission, but it's worth a watch if only to see what an amalgamation of "I, Robot" and "Training Day" looks like. B-