Director: Romuald Boulanger.
Starring: Mel Gibson, William Moseley, Alia Seror-O’Neill, Paul Spera, Nadia Fares, Enrique Arce, Yoli Fuller, John Robinson, Yann Bean, Nancy Tate and Kevin Dillon
Distributor: Icon
Runtime: 104 mins. Reviewed in Nov 2022
Reviewer: Fr Peter Malone msc

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Rating notes: Mature themes, violence and frequent coarse language

A radio station night talk-back host receives a call threatening his family and himself.

If you enjoy a thriller, plenty of tension, a siege situation, heroics and fear, then this could go on your list. It is a Mel Gibson film with Gibson doing what he does best, looking the worse for wear, with an abrasive personality. As the host of a late-night radio talk-back show (it starts at midnight) Elvis Cooney (Gibson) handles various situations on air with Mary (Seror-O’Neill) as his switchboard operator. This night the show has a new young producer just arrived from England.

This reviewer feels that a word of warning is in order. If you enjoy tension, focusing on the unpleasant personality that Gibson 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, alienate 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 another ending, with yet another ending, which might entertain with ingenuity – or irritate and dismay and make the audience feel it has been targeted as well.

The action takes place in the building, with a radio studio on an upper floor. Initially, there is some drama in the foyer as the compere arrives, when he is confronted by a young man who feels he should be recognised – declaring that he is the Messiah. Admittedly, the compere handles the situation with some sense and sensitivity, able to send the young man away. In subsequent scenes the compere is seen helping guests who ring in with their problems, listening attentively, giving sensible suggestions, and 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 to blow up the radio station building. (And, all the time, the threats and the siege going out over the radio, the station still on the line.)

If you see On the Line, you will experience all this. If, on the other hand, if you don’t see it, 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.