3 out of 5 stars
In the not too distant future of 2036, the United States finds itself caught in the middle of a conflict in Eastern Europe. Warlord Victor Koval (Pilou Asbæk) is trying to seize Ukraine control but is being opposed by the local Resistance movement. Over the years, the US military has started to rely on automated soldiers nicknamed 'Gumps' to support their objectives. However, the presence of human soldiers is still required.
One of these support personnel is Lieutenant Thomas Harp (Damon Idris), an experienced drone pilot who supports the soldiers. Until one day, as he destroys an enemy target, the soldier makes a fatal mistake and kills two Marines in the process. Even though he does try to justify his actions as a necessary sacrifice of these men to save the soldiers' larger company. As punishment for his actions, he is ordered to go into the midst of the fighting on the ground and report for duty to Captain Leo (Anthony Mackie).
Harp quickly discovers that Leo is not human but rather a highly-advanced android. Through their introductions, the lieutenant is told that he has been specifically selected for a special mission. His role will be to secure launch codes to Russian nuclear missiles at risk of being seized by Koval. His new captain explains that to achieve their mission objective, they will have to perform actions that the military may not strictly sanction. Similar efforts helped Harp in his decision-making when he ignored orders and opened fire in his earlier drone mission. However, the young soldier soon begins to wonder if everything is as Leo has stated and quickly discovers who the real enemy is in this conflict.
Based on the premise and marketing, Outside the Wire looks to be a stock-standard futuristic war film driven by action. Yet, under the war-torn facade's surface is an intellectual complexity that proves to be both intriguing and moderately entertaining. What causes difficulty to be challenging for this screenplay is incorporating the necessary backstory to support this psychological intrigue. Unfortunately, not enough time is spent developing Leo's history and that of many other essential characters. This forces the audience to have to piece together the relevant bits of information for themselves as they attempt to determine the story's real villain.
The discussions of the morality of war quickly become the theme that underpins this storyline. Wrapped up in action and CGI effects is a query into humanity's ability to know which side is right in any given conflict. Specifically, whether human beings can be trusted in critical decisions regarding warfare or should control be given to artificial intelligence where judgment is not clouded by emotion.
It was surprising that watching this film did not turn out to be that sci-fi action thrill-ride. This had a more cerebral message to consider and will reward those willing to persevere with a war movie that challenges the morality of these actions, especially the role of technology and how battles should be waged.
REEL DIALOGUE: Does the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one?
Early in the movie, Harp justifies his actions to disobey orders and fires at the enemy target to achieve a better outcome. Which poses the moral juxtaposition of whether more lives can be saved at the expense of the few. A question that has been the driving force of a multitude of films throughout the years.
As Star Trek and Mr Spock's fans would know, logic dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. Such a choice though, is always challenging to resolve if you have placed in the position yourself. Particularly when you are not given much time to decide what should be the correct course of action. It is even more complicated if the choice to be made concerns someone you love and hold dear to you.
God was faced with such a choice: He willingly sacrificed his son to save all of mankind. This decision was so that people could be saved from judgment deserving of turning away from God. Find out more about the remarkable story of Jesus’ sacrifice in one of the Gospel accounts of his life. One life sacrificed for the sake of many.
“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith” - Romans 3:25
