Movie Ratings That Actually Work    Become a Member

"One of the 50 Coolest Websites...they simply tell it like it is" - TIME

Outside the Wire | 2021 | R | – 2.7.10

content-ratingsWhy is “Outside the Wire” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “strong violence and language throughout.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a brief glimpse of a poster of a topless woman in the background, many scenes of drone attacks that end with large explosions that cause death, many gun battles and hand-to-hand combat that lead to death with bloody wounds shown, discussions of civil wars and U.S. military involvement, discussions of the use of drones and nuclear weapons, and over 100 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.


In 2036, American troops are stationed in ravaged Eastern Europe, acting as peacekeepers between different factions. When a stateside drone operator (Damson Idris) disobeys a direct order and destroys a suspicious vehicle, resulting in American casualties, he’s assigned to accompany a very sophisticated android (Anthony Mackie) in a murky mission to disable wayward nukes. Also with Enzo Cilenti, Emily Beecham, Michael Kelly, Kristina Tonteri-Young, Brady Dowad and Henry Garrett. Directed by Mikael Håfström. [Running Time: 1:54]

Outside the Wire SEX/NUDITY 2

 – For a couple of seconds we briefly glimpse in the background of a fight scene a few half-folded posters, one of a topless woman and others of women wearing bikinis. A man shows a picture of his fiancée to another man and the other man remarks about her being attractive (we see the woman wearing a tank top that reveals cleavage and bare abdomen). A man changes his clothes and we see his bare back, abdomen and chest as it changes from seemingly human flesh to a transparent android body, with glowing lights and wires inside.
 A man quizzes another man about whether he is unfaithful to his fiancée; he then asks if the fiancée is unfaithful, with either another man or a woman.

Outside the Wire VIOLENCE/GORE 7

 – Gunfire erupts and soldiers fire on armed men: one soldier is struck (we see blood on his face) and he screams in pain as another soldier tries to reach him to get him out of the line of fire, but the second soldier is shot in the leg and blood sprays, with more gunfire and explosions around them; a drone launches a missile that blows up a large vehicle parked near them, causing a large explosion and flames that kill the two soldiers. A drone launches a missile and it strikes a building close to where people are still trapped; the explosion covers a man and a woman with rubble and dust and the man stumbles outside to see dead bodies (they are twisted and burned) and the man has a burn scar on his face.
 A man attacks a man and throws him through a wall, he fights with several other men bending arms until they break (we hear a snap and see the arms bending unnaturally), he stabs a man with his own knife (blood sprays), he kicks several men, punches another, holds one man on the ground threatening to kill him and the pinned man is shot in the head (we see the bloody wound). A man fights with a man and takes his gun, he shoots several other men in the area (blood sprays), fights a few more men and jumps through a car window (breaking the window); a man shoots at him and he throws a flag on a pole impaling the man through the chest (we see blood on his chest and in the man’s mouth as he dies pinned to a car door).
 A gunman aims at a medical clinic where two men are delivering medication; the gunman shoots into the clinic hitting two men (blood sprays) and another man shoots him in the neck (blood sprays and gushes from the wound), and then presses his thumb into the wound while questioning him and tells him, “You’re gonna bleed out”; the wounded man is beaten to death by several other men with sticks (we see the sticks being swung and hear thuds but the man is out of view). A man shoots several gunmen (blood spurts and sprays) as he moves through a building, he chases another man onto a roof and shoots him in the leg and then twice in the chest, before pushing him of the roof to his death. A man stabs a guard in the neck twice and we see blood; he and another man move into a building with guns drawn and one man fires his weapon causing others to return fire and several men are struck with blood spray; an explosive is thrown and blows up a balcony where others are standing, a military robot opens fire on a man hiding behind a wall, the robot is blown up by a grenade, another robot shoots through a wall at another man that throws a grenade and shoots it to blow it and the robot up.
 Several armed men hold people at gunpoint and a robot shoots one gunman in the head (blood spurts) and another man leads people away from the gunfire and into a building. Several bodies are seen around a building in rubble and as a man walks through the area; another man drops from above and crashes onto a metal framework (we see his twisted and bloody body). A man shoots another man repeatedly and we see his clothing rip open exposing glowing flesh and machinery. A man shoots another man to take his vehicle (blood sprays). Gunfire erupts when a military convoy is stopped and several soldiers are struck, with blood spraying and military robots are shot and blown up; explosions blow dust and debris as two men run away and through a field. A military convoy approaches an overturned truck and we hear that it was a suspected militia attack; people looting through the contents of the truck throw things at armed robots that have been deployed from a vehicle and one robot shoots a man in the leg (blood spurts) causing others to raise their weapons and yell; one man moves toward the crowd after lowering his weapon and he talks to another man. A drone strike is launched and it blows up a building with a man inside.
 Two men struggle and one shoots the other in the abdomen three times, as the other holds him across the throat until he passes out. Three soldiers grab another soldier and drag him between storage containers where they punch him in the stomach and ribs repeatedly; he stumbles and falls to the ground. A man holds a gun to another man’s head, hits him in the head with the gun and pushes him out of a car; we see him unconscious on the ground and waking when two children poke him with a stick. Two men chase a man, grab him and put a bag over his head; he is then shown seated in a room where a man injects him in the arm with what he is told is a truth serum, the bag is removed and a woman interrogates him.
 Military robots are blown up by launched grenades in a few scenes. Robots are shot at in a few scenes and we see them struck, but they are not stopped. A soldier pounds a robot in the head with the butt of his rifle several times and another man yells at him to stop. A man uses a knife to cut a device out of another man’s back; we see the blade moving through the outer covering (it looks like flesh) as the other man winces and the first man presses his fingers inside the opening to remove the device.
 Men come upon a mass grave in a field and we see bodies with blood-soaked bags over their heads. Two dead men are shown slumped inside a car and we see bloody wounds on their heads and faces. Several dead bodies are shown inside a building and on steps (bloody wounds are seen). Photos of bodies and people of interest are shown in an office. A man changes his clothes and we see his bare back, abdomen and chest as it changes from seemingly human flesh to an android covering, with glowing lights and wires inside. A man talks about having acute sensory perception. A man puts patches on wounds on his back and shoulder and we see them blend with the existing flesh to close the wounds.
 A soldier is reprimanded for disobeying a direct order and killing two soldiers with a drone strike. Men discuss insurgents and methods of getting information. Soldiers walk past robots that scan their eyes for identification. Men discuss a cholera epidemic in a refugee camp and delivering medication. A man tells another man, “I chase ghosts.” Men talk about nuclear weapons and dirty bombs. Two men argue about breaking rules. A man argues with a woman about someone being bent on committing mass murder. We hear that there is a bitter civil war raging in Eastern Europe driven by a warlord and that the US military is assisting using drones and robotic soldiers. Launch codes are entered into a nuclear weapon and we hear a countdown begin.

Outside the Wire LANGUAGE 10

 – About 102 F-words and its derivatives, 1 sexual reference, 19 scatological terms, 11 anatomical terms, 10 mild obscenities, name-calling (collateral, ridiculous, Terror of the Balkans, hottie, pig, rookie, enemy, threat human, idiot, your kind, improper, cold, stupid, robotist, peckerwood, scared, confused, gummy bear, ugly mug), exclamations (shut the [F-word deleted] up, easy, hey, let them go, oh no), 10 religious profanities (GD), 5 religious exclamations (e.g. Jesus, Jesus Christ, God). | profanity glossary |

Outside the Wire SUBSTANCE USE

 – People stand alongside a road and a few are shown smoking cigarettes.

Outside the Wire DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Russia, Ukraine, militias, war, civil war, nuclear weapons, dirty bombs, trust, morality, validation, breaking rules, the greater good, AI.

Outside the Wire MESSAGE

 – War is ugly and humans must learn to do better.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


how to
support us

PLEASE DONATE

We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.

NO MORE ADS!

Become a member of our premium site for just $1/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we don't always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.

how to
support us

PLEASE DONATE

We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.

NO MORE ADS!

Become a member of our premium site for just $2/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we will accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we do not always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter

Know when new reviews are published
We will never sell or share your email address with anybody and you can unsubscribe at any time

You're all set! Please check your email for confirmation.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This