I Watched Exterritorial, And Now I Need To Talk About This One Thing I Really Loved About It

Netflix has amassed an eclectic assortment of action movies, both licensed and original productions, with many great subgenre offerings that are fueled by more than just big thrills. Though I myself don't frequently partake in action movies, I still find them fun and exciting, and am always excited to find one that I truly enjoy, which is the case with Exterritorial.

The 2025 release follows Sara Wulf (Jeanne Goursaud), a former soldier whose son goes missing while she is inside the US Consulate. The ex-Special Forces badass puts her instincts and training to work in an attempt to retrieve and save him, making allies and uncovering plenty of secrets along the way. It’s an intense ride from start to finish, but the action sequences aren’t actually what most drew me into Exterritorial, and I need to talk about what did.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn't yet streamed Exterritorial with a Netflix subscription. Proceed with caution.

I Loved That Sara Wulf Is A Mother, Because It Made Her More Of A Badass

Plenty of excellent films exist about mothers doing extraordinary things to keep their children safe, and there are even more movies fronted by female action heroes, but those worlds don’t often overlap. Protagonists are often either childless heroines or they're mothers without those extra-special skillsets. (Yes, there are exceptions that could qualify as a female-led Taken, but it's not the norm.)

Therefore, I instantly became more fascinated by Sara Wulf because she is a mother who becomes a really powerful figure not merely through hand-to-hand combat skills, but because of what she represents. Sara shows that a person can be nurturing and also a badass. Her love for her child makes her even more powerful, and drives her through the most hopeless situations.

Towards the end of Exterritorial, for instance, Sara is beaten down and wants to quit, but uses her last energy and strength to make one final attempt to save her son. I know movies like Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2 and Exterritorial aren’t an extremely rare concept, but it would be nice to see more films that show the deadliest person you can piss off is a mother.

Her Background Reminds Me Of Other Great Action Heroes, But She Still Breaks The Mold

It’s almost cliche and common now for someone with military training to be scorned and then go on a quest to find someone or on a revenge mission. They instantly become like the mightiest superheroes with their almost invincibility. They can endure gunshot wounds, severe fights, and many near-death experiences. They also have superhuman abilities like strength, agility, and fearlessness. Sara Wulf fits so many of the action-movie cliches, but I still think she’s a different kind of action star.

She is an imperfect one because her emotions drive her. Some action heroes work because they turn off their humanity and just become this hyper-focused killer. Then others have emotional things that reawaken their lethal past. We rarely see an action hero who starts driven by their emotions and continues that throughout the film. Sara is this type of character in Exterritorial. She lets her emotions guide her the entire movie.

I Also Like That Sara Isn’t Sexualized

Sometimes action movies put their female action heroes in tight outfits, dresses, or make them behave in ways to emphasize their sex appeal. I never feel like Exterritorial sexualizes Sara in such an exploitative way. This could just be that the plot doesn’t allow for those types of scenes, but it doesn’t feel like her attractiveness is a factor at all, which it shouldn’t be, because what does that have to do with saving her son?

Obviously, Hollywood has a penchant for casting objectively lovely women like Jeanne Goursaud as action heroines, and there are myriad examples of the physical appeal getting more attention than other attributes. But I never felt like Exterritorial put Sara's looks on a pedestal, and seemed to do the opposite as the character gets roughed up pretty badly throughout the film.

I Thought The Fight Scenes Were Very Intense, But Appreciated The Film Not Softening Them Based On Gender

I remember once someone talked about how people don’t want to see men beat up women in action sequences. Therefore, it’s hard to do these intense fight scenes between a man and a woman. They need to soften the scenes more when they happen between opposite genders. I can’t remember exactly who said it and where I heard it, but that idea and belief have stuck with me for a long time. I don’t think the person who said it was being sexist. I think they were speaking a fundamental truth.

I consider myself someone all about female empowerment, but I agree that it’s hard to watch women getting beaten up by men, even if it’s an action scene, and she’s fighting back just as hard. The fight scenes in Exterritorial can be hard to watch, especially when Sara is getting beaten up. However, I respect Exterritorial director Christian Zübert for not running away from these intense fight scenes.

If these scenes were between characters of the same gender, would we even flinch? Probably not. No-holds-barred fight scenes can be the mark of a great action movie, so filmmakers should embrace men and women fighting just as much as they do same sex fights.

Exterritorial Makes Sara A Great Action Hero, But I Am Glad She Has Many Flaws

Exterritorial is more critical of the government and its treatment of former soldiers than many similar movies. It shows how post-traumatic stress has altered and hurt Sara and her son’s lives. She overcomes it by the end of the film, but it’s a major hindrance (then an asset) throughout it.

Erik (Dougray Scott) also gives his own speech about why he doesn’t regret his decisions because of all he suffered due to the way the government just casually throws away those who risk their lives for their country.

Sara’s trauma makes her an easy target to manipulate and become a scapegoat. Her PTSD isn’t necessarily a flaw, but it is something that holds her back, but she continues despite it. I think that’s a powerful message. Something like mental health issues doesn’t make you any less of an action star.

Stream Exterritorial on Netflix