NETFLIX Review: 'Outside the Wire' bombs

Netflix, 2021.

As stiff and robotic as the cyborg he portrays, Anthony Mackie is not able to save "Outside the Wire" from itself.

Grade: D

In the future, American troops fight alongside robotic soldiers called "gumps." A young, hot-shot drone operator for the U.S Air Force, Lieutenant Thomas Harp (Damson Idris) disobeys direct orders during a mission and is sent to be a part of an elite task force, even though he isn't sure of what he's being sent to do at the time. There he is put under the leadership of Captain Leo (Mackie), who is a new humanoid-prototype cyborg, on a mission to stop a nuclear attack by terrorist Victor Koval ("Game of Thrones" villain, Pilou Asbaek).

From the drop, "Outside the Wire" feels disconnected and malfunctioned. The dreary dialogue is only matched by the unimaginative universe that is never full realized...it's no surprise to discover that one of the two screenwriters credited on "Outside the Wire" is a guy whose writing background is for video games. Any gamer can tell you that many games have vast, rich story-lines and characters, but even more do not...this film is one long video game cut-scene from the latter, where the audience can never quite get it to return back to the game.

When the film does launch into action, it is bland redundancy, as the "good guys" battle with the "bad guys" often in urban street settings, over and over again. Characters are never fully developed and twists that occur can be seen from miles away. The sci-fi premise that is established is wasted on one generic trope after another.

I'm not exactly sure how or why films like "Outside the Wire" get made, only to say that I'm sorry they do.

Grade: D

Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action.
Run Time: 1 hour 54 minutes.
Rated R.

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Pilou Asbaek, Damson Idris, Michael Kelly, Emily Beecham.

Directed by Mikael Hafstrom ("Quick," "Escape Plan," "Evil").

​"Outside the Wire" is available on Netflix on Friday, January 15th, 2021.