I have this thing about Mel Gibson. I think the actor is fantastic at what he does. However, some propaganda he was involved in back in 2006 didn’t sit well with me. Since then, I have pretty much avoided his films. Until On The Line that is. I don’t really hold much stock in famous rich people who don’t apologize or supply restitution for bad behavior and, criminal acts. I didn’t watch On The Line for Mel Gibson, I watched it because I like single-location films that involve being stuck on the phone or even stuck in one location. Phone Booth, ATM, Black Phone, The Call, and The Guilty all come to mind and I liked every single title.
The On the Line movie follows radio host Elvis as he starts his night shift in a large corporate building. Renowned for being an asshole to both colleagues and guest callers, Elvis is also known for being quite the practical joker.
Elvis enters the building and talks to the security guard. Quietly, a man enters behind him touting religious premonitions and insisting he needs to get on the air to tell the world he is God. The dialogue for the conversation between the two passes with enthusiasm. Right from the beginning, I decided this film was going to be at the very least, an entertaining one.
On the Line movie 2022
There aren’t that many cast members to get to know. Elvis has a producer, there are some other radio presenters in the building, and a new disc jockey is brought in to get to know the ropes. Elvis (Mel Gibson) puts the young man through the wringer. He pretends he doesn’t have what it takes to be a radio host before promptly bringing him back in shortly after he leaves. Despite Gibson suiting this role, or rather perhaps simply being a natural at being a twat, I couldn’t help continuously being distracted by the mean and aggressive air his character got to dish out. It made me think he was honing in on his naturally menacing ways.
Mel Gibson’s Bad Behaviour
What happens next gets to the meat of the On The Line story. As the radio show goes live, a caller is put on the air and begins to complain about Elvis. We soon discover this man is an ex-employee and has major issues with Mel’s I mean, Elvis’s past behavior. As the mystery man continues to up the ante by saying he has his wife and daughter at gunpoint, and that Elvis is responsible for this ex-employees suicide it becomes obvious that things aren’t going to end well for the people now trapped in the building.
On The Line takes its time but builds a suitably tense atmosphere. Some people who watch this and think the narrative hasn’t been done before might be more impressed than I was with the novel way in which the film approaches its finale. I have seen an ending like the one used for On the Line… so I did see it coming.
I won’t ruin the ending of On the Line, because this movie is watchable as well as well-produced, eye-pleasing, and more often than not, kind of fun to listen to. It’s a tense revenge movie thriller that I would easily watch again.
On the downside, the tension I mentioned earlier takes a massive nose dive about halfway through when filmmakers have Elvis looking for the mystery caller for far too long than is necessary. Less cat and mouse, more wandering around talking for ages. But, If you get bored, there is always the fast-forward button.
On the Line is rated
3 Mother of Movies got this movie as a screener so did not contribute to Mel Gibson’s coffers out of 5
Where to Watch On the Line
Movies like On The Line with hostage situations are: Rogue Hostage or The Christmas Tapes.
On the Line is streaming on:
Distributed by Paramount Pictures and Saban Films
On the Line, the movie is in Theaters, Digital, and On Demand on November 4, 2022
| WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: | Romuald Boulanger |
| STARRING: | Mel Gibson, William Moseley, Alia Seror-O’Neill, Paul Spera, Nadia Farés, Enrique Arce, and Kevin Dillon |
| RUN TIME: | 104 minutes |
| GENRE: | Thriller / Action |
