ON THE LINE

US, 2022, 104 minutes, Colour.

Mel Gibson, William Moseley, Alia Seror-O'Neill, Paul Spera, Nadia Fares, Enrique Arce, Yoli Fuller, John Robinson, Yann Bean, Nancy Tate., Kevin Dillon.

Directed by Romuald Boulanger.

If you enjoy a thriller, plenty of tension, a siege situation, heroics and fears, then this could go on your list. And it is a Mel Gibson film, Mel doing what he does best, looking the worse for wear, harsh personality, enjoying putting people down, the host of the show which starts at midnight and is a talk-back show, he handling situations on the air with Mary (Alia Seror-O’Neill) as his switchboard operator. And, this particular show, starting at midnight, has a new young producer just arrived from England.

This reviewer feels that a word of warning is in order. If you enjoy this kind of tension, focusing on the unpleasant personality that Mel plays and the situations for which he is ultimately responsible, twists and surprises, then go ahead. If, on the other hand, you find characters who put others down, put them in tricky and humiliating circumstances, target them, alienating them and you have strong sympathies for the targets, you might want to give this one a miss!

In fact, there is an ending, then there is another ending, and then there is yet another ending, which might entertain with the ingenuity – or irritate and dismay and feel that as audience, we have been targeted as well.

All the action takes place in the building, with a radio studio on an upper floor, some drama in the foyer as the compere arrives, a bizarre situation when he is confronted by a young man who feels that he should be recognised, declaring that he is the Messiah. Admittedly, the compere does handle the situation with some good sense, able to send the young man away – and, with the screenwriting for the sequences with the compere helping guests who ring in with their problems, listening attentively, sensible suggestions, there is some sympathy for him.

But, when a caller phones, threatening to kill a family, and, as we guess, it is the compere’s family, the tension begins, and continues with the shrewdness of the caller, kidnapping the compere’s wife and daughter, threatening with explosives, and then, his being inside the building. (And, all the time, the threats and the siege going out over the radio, the station still on the line.)

If you go to see On the Line, you will experience all this. If, on the other hand, if you don’t go to see On the Line, you might like to talk to someone who was seen it and satisfy your curiosity as to how the three endings work and what it is like to be target.

1. The title, the night radio program, Elvis as host, Mary his assistant, Steve is boss, the limit has the new producer? The setting up of the situation?
2. The introduction to Elvis, his relationship with his wife and daughter, family man, the 40 years in the business, arrogance, his physical appearance and scruffy, the encounter with the young man claiming to the minute be the Messiah, handling the situation shrewdly? The security officer at the desk and his relationship with Elvis? Elvis in the studio, his relationship with Mary, the discussions with Dylan, the putdowns, target him, firing him, getting him back?
3. The talkback program, after midnight, the callers? The various stories, Elvis and his ability to listen, handle the situations, make the right comments, questions?
4. The expected guest not arriving? The phone call from Gary, the voice, insinuating, threatening, the gradual realisation that he was targeting Elvis? The voices of wife and daughter? The police, tension, eventually going in, nobody there?
5. Elvis and his interchanges with Gary? Manoeuvring? Fear? Gary’s threats, to kill wife and daughter, his demands, putting explosives all around the building? Mary’s response, Stephen’s response coming into the studio? Elvis and Dillon going downstairs, the security guard of 20 years, his stealing the computers? The deaths of the two security guards?
6. Working of the strategies, coming up the stairs, coming up the lift well, Mary and Stephen tied up? Dylan and his fears, with the gun? Gary and his playing games, the right order of numbers, the security best…?
7. The eventual confrontation with Gary, his personality, Elvis and his response, pleading? Dylan, unable to do anything?
8. The first ending and the Revelation, audience response to being had, targeted? Everybody in on the act, the missing guest, his performance, everybody acting? And everything going out on a? The greatest hoax?
9. The second ending with Dylan backing, falling down the stairs, his death? Elvis’s response?
10. The third ending, Elvis, reporters, the police, the manager, the initial interview with her, her warning him against going too far, getting him in the car to avoid the police, Dillon appearing, everybody in on the hoax against Elvis himself?
11. Audience response, enjoying the twists and revelations, or feeling had?