Film Review: ON THE LINE (2022): Mel Gibson’s Latest Thriller Opens Strong But Goes Off the Rail Towards the End

On the Line Review

On the Line (2022) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Romuald Boulanger and starring Mel Gibson, William Moseley, Alia Seror-O’Neill, Paul Spera, Enrique Arce, Yann Bean, Agathe Bokja, Kevin Dillon, Nadia Fares, Yoli Fuller, Robbie Nock, John Robinson, Avant Strangel and Carole Weyers.

On the Line, written and directed by Romuald Boulanger, would have made an excellent companion piece to the recent Netflix Jake Gyllenhaal vehicle, The Guilty, if it stayed on course throughout the duration of the entire movie. On the Line, instead, goes off the rail in its totally out there third act which may make the viewer not only feel disappointed but also feel like the director edited in pieces of another type of movie altogether.

Mel Gibson stars in Boulanger’s new picture which tries hard to maintain its momentum with its first two acts and, surprisingly enough, these scenes could well keep viewers on the edge of their seats. The film opens with the story of a radio show host played by Gibson named Elvis Cooney who has a wife and daughter that he adores. He’s a good father and, apparently, a decent husband. One night, he comes to work and a strange man walks into the building where his radio station operates. This weirdo wants to spread the word of God or something like that on Elvis’ radio show but Elvis successfully talks the guy out of the building. Elvis is a good talker who can twist things the way they needed to be twisted to satisfy the goals he wants to accomplish.

The plot thickens when a caller to the show starts to ask Elvis on the line live if he’s having an affair with his female colleague, Mary (Alia Seror-O’Neill). Mary is shaking her head “no” as if she is, indeed, having sex with Elvis but doesn’t want him to tell the caller that. It gets more complicated as the caller tells Elvis that he has Elvis’ wife and child and will kill them if he doesn’t do what he is told. Elvis must answer the questions the caller asks truthfully and then proceeds to go through a series of obstacle courses, if you will, to keep his family alive.

This caller knows Elvis’ address and says he doesn’t want money. Instead, the caller states that Elvis mistreated a former female employee at the radio station who eventually committed suicide. It seems Elvis doesn’t care enough about the help since he doesn’t recall what he did to this woman too well. We soon learn the caller is a security guard that consoled the woman who Elvis mistreated and it’s payback time for Elvis. This plot is frightening and catches the viewer’s attention. One can’t help but picture such a nightmare come to life and the story line reels the viewer in.

However, the movie falls apart as it constantly throws in twists and turns that are hard to discuss without giving key plot details away. Gibson’s character is portrayed as unsympathetic but he may just get a taste of his own medicine as the story plays out. It’s just not in the way the audience anticipates as the scenes that precede the film’s revelations would suggest.

Gibson gives a strong performance here, nevertheless. He’s always been charismatic and as he tries to talk himself out of a seemingly deadly situation, the acting by Gibson is rather impressive. Alia Seror O’Neill as Mary is a newcomer who can’t help but remind viewers of Nathalie Emmanuel of The Invitation fame with her charisma and screen presence. William Moseley, Paul Spera and Kevin Dillon all have characters that come into the plot at given intervals to help make the story’s plot twists come into fruition. Spera, in particular, stands out with his distinct voice and Moseley and Dillion have their moments as well.

It’s unforgivable that On the Line ends as awkwardly as it does, though. While the filmmakers were probably going for something like a particular 1997 David Fincher movie called The Game, they ended up with a film that has a lot less depth and a lot less on its thematic bones than it thinks it does. But, still, Gibson delivers the goods in his solid performance and On the Line is fast paced and initially interesting enough to keep the viewer watching. However, if you want to see a movie about a desperate man in a scary situation, watch Jake Gyllenhaal in The Guilty. If you saw that one, you may want to give On the Line a try. Just don’t set the bar too high.

Rating: 5.5/10

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