On the Line Review

I stumbled upon this movie while browsing Facebook fan pages. The fact that Mel Gibson was part of the cast piqued my interest. Before adding this to my Netflix movie queue, I looked up more details. The film titled "On the Line", Gibson portrays a shock jock named Elvis Cooney on an overnight radio show. Right from the start, it's evident that Elvis will go to extreme lengths for ratings. His cruel prank on the new intern, Dylan (played by William Mosely), sets off a chain of events. Things take a dark turn when Elvis receives a call on-air from Gary, who claims to have his wife and daughter hostage.  The tension escalates as Elvis races against time to save his family.

Gary, fueled by a desire for revenge, targets Elvis for mistreating his former switchboard operator, Lauren. Tragically, Lauren took her own life after enduring relentless bullying and torment from Elvis. But here's the kicker, Lauren was not just any switchboard operator--she was Gary's girlfriend.  Their relationship adds an extra layer of complexity to Gary's vendetta. 

Gary's plan unfolds methodically: he coerces Elvis into confessing on-air that he had an affair with Mary, the new switchboard operator portrayed by Alia Seror O'Neill. With his admission, Gary sets the stage for his twisted retribution. Elvis is then told to go onto the roof. It is there, with his crew, that Gary instructs him to jump off as payback. After forcing Elvis's hand, he theatrically "agrees" to Gary's demand. Elvis pretends to jump off the roof but, Gary is no amateur, he anticipates Elvis's every move. In comes a drone headed towards the building, verifying whether the shock jock meets his demise. Then we hear two gunshots echoing through the phoneline, convincing everyone that Elvis's family was killed. 

Elvis checks out mentally.  He is no longer listening to his crew or Gary. He just walks back into the building and jumps into the elevator to leave the building with Dylan close behind. At some point police officers swarm Elvis's home to discover it eerily empty. Gary, however, reveals a chilling truth, Elvis's family is still alive.  They are hidden somewhere within the building with Gary. 

As Gary forces Elvis and his intern into a deadly game of hide and seek. The entire structure is rigged with explosives, rendering escape impossible. With a ticking clock, just 40 minutes to find his family, Elvis races against time. Little do they know that Gary, an ex-employee, has infiltrated the security system, tracking their every move. 

As these events unfold on-air, I could not help but wonder, "Where are the cops?" and "Why are they not at the station?" Finally, an officer arrives but not for the hostage situation. He's unaware of the jocks held captive. Just as the officer reaches for the door, his radio crackles, "Do not enter! SWAT is en route." That's when my "Peter tingle" kicked in (Spider-Man reference). Something about this whole setup felt off. How did Gary manage such unfettered access to the building without raising alarms? And those bombs placed on the glass doors? Suspicious!

But wait! Why would a building like that, with a shock jock with potentially unhinged listeners, only have one security guard? Then later on, how was someone declared dead without checking for a pulse? My focus shifted from the storyline to these logistical mysteries. 

As for the surprise twists, oh, the roller coaster! The first one hit me like Carlisle's death in the "Twilight" movie. My instincts were on the right path. I was distracted by the smoke and mirrors and missed the "trick" sort of speak. But after the second twist, I rolled my eyes and mentally addressed my imaginary living room audience consisting of little Grokus. Overall, did I like it? Yes, I did. Would I recommend it? Absolutely!

I give this movie 3 out of 5 acorns.