Futuristic War Thriller “Outside the Wire” Gets New Trailer

It wouldn't be January if we didn't get an action movie that's advertised as "From the Studio That Brought You..." but I'm a little surprised it's Netflix that's doing it. But with the pandemic raging, streaming services are still picking up the slack for the lack of movies (and safety) in theaters.

Outside the Wire stars Anthony Mackie (Avengers: Endgame) and Damson Idris (FX's Snowfall) as soldiers in a war-torn country, each distrustful of those higher up the chain of command. The only difference? Mackie's character Leo is an android, while Harp is flesh-and-blood. It's 2036 and their mission is to stop a warlord (Pilou Asbaek, Game of Thrones) who's gotten his hands on nuclear weapons.

The film comes from Mikael Hafstrom, whose American films range from forgettable (Derailed, The Rite) to pretty fun (1408, Escape Plan). Writer Rob Yescombe makes the leap from video games to film, with a rewrite by Rowan Athale, mostly known for European action movies that go straight-to-video in the U.S. While that doesn't inspire much confidence, the film still looks like a solid action movie, one Netflix is getting better at churning out.

Outside the Wire premieres exclusively on Netflix on January 15.

About Kip Mooney

Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.