Where to Watch: Netflix
Actor of the moment Anthony Mackie (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) returns as biotech robot, Captain Leo, in the year 2036 as he picks shamed drone pilot Harp (Damson Idris) to be its accomplice on a secret mission. One that will hopefully free the planet from Victor Koval (Pilou Asbæk) and his dreams of nuclear destruction.
For fans of director Neill Blomkamp (Chappie), you’ll be right at home with Outside the Wire’s setting, as Mikael Håfström (1408) hosts a civil war clash in Eastern Europe through a rugged, futuristic type lens, that comes across as believable. As our two rogue characters smash their way through militarized terrain, while doing their upmost best to avoid an array of mega armoured Gumps – which look really neat by the way – we most notably see Damson Idris harnessing his character’s progression to a tee.
He displays an over confident drone pilot that has to come to terms with the notion that he just can’t cope with the brutality of being up close to a warzone, as much as he thought he might have. When the movie descends even further into action mayhem – with Leo destroying anything he wants to – the realistic, traumatic element that the ‘Rookie’ Harp has to go through, keeps Outside the Wire from spiralling out of control.
With a straight to the point, simplistic save the world style, that can get too drowned out with mindless action, this tag team struggle through urban warfare may not be a very memorable experience. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a fun one.
