Outside the Wire
This Netflix original film tries to tackle some big ideas and themes, and although its ambition ultimately exceeds its reach, it’s still an enjoyable (if largely forgettable) sci-fi action film.
Premise: During a civil war in Ukraine in the near future, a drone pilot (Damson Idris) is sent to bolster the US peacekeeping forces after his decision to disobey orders costs the lives of two marines. Once there, he’s assigned to the enigmatic Captain Leo (Anthony Mackie), an advanced and experimental secret prototype android soldier.
Review:
Without wishing to get into spoiler territory, Outside the Wire (the name given to missions taking place beyond the perimeter of the demilitarised zone) tries to address some fairly weighty concepts during its two hour runtime – covering everything from the ethical mandates of those launching drone strikes from thousands of miles away from a combat zone, to the morality of the notion of acceptable collateral and civilian losses, to the idea that if the human cost of war is removed by having proxy wars fought by AI and robots, then there will be no incentive for mankind to ever strive for peace.
By any measure, these are some very relevant and very complex issues, and I have to give Outside the Wire some credit for even attempting to tackle them in what is essentially a fairly straightforward sci-fi action thriller. But in truth, these concepts are only very briefly touched upon, and while they do add a bit of freshness and colour to the film, they aren’t enough to paper over the fact that neither the plot, the action sequences, nor the characters in this film are particularly well developed.
“…the relationship between the characters & the demands of the plot seem a little contrived…”
Damson Idris is effectively the lead of the film, playing Lieutenant Harp, an emotionally distant and coldly logical drone pilot who thinks nothing of sacrificing the lives of the few to save the many. It’s an interesting place to start his character arc, as he’s arguably a fairly unsympathetic character to begin with, showing no remorse (and a lot of arrogance) about his earlier actions. His punishment (being sent to see combat on the front lines) is designed to force him to face the reality of war up close, but the film never manages to convince us that his motivation is anything more than a selfish desire to get back to America to marry his fiancée. Ultimately, although his motivation is entirely relatable, it’s hardly noble or heroic, as he essentially just wants to return home so that other soldiers can fight the war on the front line, instead of him.
But although Harp is the audience’s surrogate throughout the movie, the main character is clearly Anthony Mackie’s Captain Leo. Here though, the relationship between his character and the demands of the plot seem a little contrived – for example, Harp is immediately assigned to Leo’s command by Colonel Eckhart (Michael Kelly), but then Harp learns that Leo is a secret prototype android, without any clear explanation as to how an experimental AI would be expected to fit into an established chain of command. And that’s not to mention the suspension of disbelief needed to accept that, despite the fact that the most advanced AI robots available to the US military in this film are cumbersome, bulky robots (known as “Gumps”) that can only follow basic orders and tactics, somehow they’ve also created Leo in secret with a fully realistic fake flesh exterior and an independently functioning artificial mind.
“…feels like a mash-up of concepts & ideas that have been explored in other films…”
This is just one of the many elements in the film that just don’t “sit right”. Ultimately, the movie feels like a mash-up of concepts and ideas that have been explored more eloquently in other films. The idea of an artificial intelligence pushing against its limitations for the greater good of humanity has been explored countless times before, in everything from I, Robot to Terminator 2, while the naïve rookie/cynical mentor relationship in Outside the Wire can’t help but draw (negative) comparisons to the Ethan Hawke/Denzel Washington dynamic in Training Day. Other elements, like Pilou Asbæk’s warlord or Emily Beecham’s freedom fighter, feel like nothing more than concepts rather than characters, and some of their actions feel inconsistent, unrealistic, or merely there to service the needs of the plot.
That’s not to say that there aren’t positives about the film. As well as trying to tackle some interesting ideas, it also includes a couple of genuine twists (although one is given away in the trailer), and the action sequences and CGI are not bad for the clearly limited budget. One of the most memorable sequences involves a confrontation between US robotic AI soldiers (designed for mobility and speed) and their Russian counterparts (designed with a focus on increased armour and firepower), which highlights the dangers of allowing future wars to be fought by impersonal proxy forces.
“…at least it takes a swing for the fences…”
Ultimately, however, it’s hard to shake the feeling that if you never get around to watching Outside the Wire, you won’t be missing much. That said, if you are looking for a passable diversion for a couple of hours, Outside the Wire is enjoyable enough, and even if it doesn’t succeed in tackling half the questions is asks, at least it took a swing for the fences.
