Anthony Mackie is one of the most charismatic actors working today. So, on paper, turning him into a supersoldier killing machine seems to be counter-intuitive. That said, it appears in his new film, “Outside the Wire,” Mackie is able to play a pseudo-robot with the same charm and humor that people have grown to love. Oh yeah, and he still can murder the hell out of things.
As seen in the trailer for “Outside the Wire,” Mackie stars as a highly classified killing machine that recruits a young, human soldier to help him on a top-secret mission. Why does an unstoppable robot need a human buddy? Well, it does add to the buddy-cop vibe of the war film, but also because AI-powered supersoldiers need humans that can “think outside of the box.” Thus, a flimsy meat bag has to tag along into incredibly dangerous terrain to help a seemingly invincible soldier kill things. Yeah, doesn’t sound like a good gig for the human soldier, huh?
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Joining Mackie in the cast are Damson Idris, Enzo Cilenti, Emily Beecham, Michael Kelly, and Pilou Asbæk. The film is directed by Swedish filmmaker Mikael Håfström. Most recently, he’s worked on TV series such as “Bloodline” and “Moscow Noir.” However, film fans probably recognize his previous feature efforts such as “The Rite,” “Escape Plan,” and “Evil.”
“Outside the Wire” arrives on Netflix on January 15. You can watch the new trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
In 2036, America serves as a peacekeeping force and human troops on both sides are supported by robot combatants called Gumps and drone pilots monitoring skirmishes from thousands of miles away. But after headstrong drone pilot Lieutenant Harp (Damson Idris) disobeys a direct order to intervene in a conflict, the Army deploys him to a military outpost to confront the human costs of his button-pushing. Harp’s expectations of guarding a fence are upended when his new commanding officer Captain Leo (Anthony Mackie) announces plans to infiltrate the demilitarized zone and apprehend Viktor Koval (Pilou Asbæk), a warlord who intends to launch a network of dormant nuclear weapons. Soon, Harp learns that his theoretical experience as a drone pilot means little out on the battlefield under enemy attack — especially after discovering that Leo is an A.I.-enhanced supersoldier whose strength, speed and demand for results promise to turn his real-world education into a trial by fire.
