Mikael Håfström’s Outside the Wire isn't an action masterpiece by any means, but rather a mostly worthy bullet-ridden distraction. The main problem that the film has going against it, is that it feels awfully familiar. Sure, there are some interesting themes about “never ending war” and lessons in collateral damage, but mostly everything thrown at us is generic to the nth degree (the “been there, done that” feeling never ceases, unfortunately). Commonality aside, the movie’s battle sequences are rather well done, with plenty of shock and awe for action fans to take in. And yes, the violence is overly gratuitous, but hey- it’s happening in a war zone after all. As performances go, Anthony Mackie and Damson Idris do their best with what they have to work with, but unfortunately, it’s not a whole heck of a lot. However, Mackie does further cement himself as a reliable action star here, showing more of the same MCU-style charisma audiences have come to enjoy. So, while Outside the Wire will likely leave you satisfied in the moment, you’ll be pretty hard pressed to remember that you even watched it a week or so later.