Outside the Wire
Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): January 15, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
0
Mixed:
12
Negative:
3
Watch Now
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeJan 14, 2021
With a touch of Training Day, a smidgen of Eagle Eye, a dash of Eye in the Sky, a pinch of Ex Machina and an extra generous serving of all the Terminator films, Outside the Wire is losing every available award for originality, yet another Netflix creation born from its algorithmic cauldron, but taken on very basic low-stakes terms, it’s a competent enough January time-filler. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeJan 13, 2021
It's not really the showcase Mackie has long deserved, and at any rate, Idris' morally troubled young human is the story's real protagonist; but few fans will be very disappointed as the credits roll. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyJan 19, 2021
The visual effects are decent, the cast is better than decent, and that’s all, folks. Read full review
50
IGNMatt FowlerJan 15, 2021
Outside the Wire is too long, too impenetrable, and not fun enough to warrant its lofty man vs. machine gimmick. It's fun to watch Anthony Mackie assume the role of a smart, cordial killbot, but the film's occasionally exciting bits of action aren't enough to breathe life into this muddled mess of a story. Read full review
50
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJan 15, 2021
The film’s paradoxical obsession with preserving the humanity of warfare is compelling enough to keep things moving even when everything around it feels bland and gray, and the po-faced goofiness of the whole endeavor — emboldened by Mikael Håfström’s (“Escape Plan”) resourceful direction — is consistent in a way that makes you want to focus on the movie’s pulpy extrapolation of Asimovian concepts instead of how it beats them into the ground. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleBob StraussJan 14, 2021
It’s entertaining enough, but you wish it had something quirkier, more messily human, more imaginatively drawn outside the lines to it. Read full review
50
VarietyPeter DebrugeJan 13, 2021
Apart from his programming, there’s little that sets Leo apart from your average action hero. And that, of course, is the problem with nearly all of these Netflix movies in the end: They approximate, but seldom surpass, what they’re meant to replace. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzJan 13, 2021
Hafstrom’s feature might be fine background noise to fold your laundry to. But there is also a very real danger that the film’s sloppy plotting and watered down set-pieces might also make you so disoriented and frustrated that your socks will end up in mismatched little balls. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloJan 13, 2021
Mackie’s performance, for better and worse, is anything but robotic. He plays more or less the same charismatic wiseacre he usually does, interpreting Leo as a machine that’s every bit as uniquely expressive as is any human being. That injects some welcome levity into what’s generally a flat, dour adventure, directed by Sweden’s Mikael Håfström with little of the old-school verve that he brought to Escape Plan. Read full review
45
CNNBrian LowryJan 13, 2021
Outside the Wire can charitably be compared to the kind of "B" movies that studios used to churn out, and is best consumed by tempering expectations accordingly. Because unlike its futuristic hero, there's nothing special about it. Read full review
42
The PlaylistBrian FarvourJan 19, 2021
Ultimately, nothing transpires throughout the course of its near-two hour runtime to save “Outside the Wire” from the bottom of a department store bargain bin nestled snuggly against a battered DVD copy of so many duplicate films that came before. Read full review
40
EmpireAmon WarmannJan 19, 2021
Despite strong lead performances and some intriguing themes, this rarely rises above being a serviceable action thriller. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 16, 2021
Mackie always gives fair value, but this seems silly and beneath him, even though he’s done time in the Marvel universe. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineDerek SmithJan 13, 2021
The film’s arguments against endless war end up seeming more than a bit disingenuous, especially given how much time it spends glorifying the actions and morality of those who help buoy ongoing American occupation of foreign nations. Read full review
30
The New York TimesRobert DanielsJan 19, 2021
Grainy establishing shots of the skirmish offer little visual information other than its location on an expressway. Without viewers knowing where, and at whom, the soldiers are firing, the onscreen action is rendered indecipherable. Mackie’s quirky performance — Leo ends every order to Harp with an uncomfortable smile — is likewise baffling. Read full review
More From This Movie

45 Critic Reviews

4.5 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL