You know that feeling when you've invested two hours into a movie, sitting on the edge of your seat, only for the credits to roll and leave you feeling like the director personally reached through the screen to pull your leg? That's basically the collective experience of everyone who sat down to watch On the Line. Released in late 2022, this thriller stars Mel Gibson as Elvis Cooney, a late-night radio shock jock in Los Angeles who spends a hellish night being tormented by a mysterious caller.
It starts out as a gritty, high-stakes hostage situation. Then it turns into a nightmare. Then, it turns into... something else entirely.
Honestly, the movie is a bit of a trip. Directed by Romuald Boulanger, it’s one of those projects that feels like it belongs in the 90s, but it's draped in modern social media anxieties. Gibson, love him or hate him, still has that frantic, bulging-vein energy that made him a superstar. He carries the whole thing on his back, pacing around a radio station while a voice on the phone claims to be holding his wife and daughter at gunpoint.
What Actually Happens in On the Line?
The setup is pretty simple. Elvis Cooney is a "relic" of radio. He's abrasive. He’s the kind of guy who calls his listeners "nocturnal emitters" and pranks the new intern, Dylan (William Moseley), by making him think he’s being fired on his first day. It’s classic shock-jock behavior.
Things take a dark turn when a guy named Gary calls in. Gary sounds calm, which is always scarier. He tells Elvis he’s at his house. He says he’s going to kill Elvis's family because of a past grievance involving a former employee who took their own life after Elvis bullied them. From there, the movie becomes a "cat and mouse" game. Elvis has to stay on the air, follow Gary's twisted instructions, and eventually, he and Dylan are running through the dark hallways of the radio station trying to find where the killer is hiding.
There are bombs. There are dead bodies. There's a moment where Elvis is forced to jump off the roof. It’s intense. Or at least, it feels intense until you get to the final fifteen minutes.
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The Twist Everyone Is Talking About
This is where the movie usually loses people. Or wins them over, depending on how much you like being messed with.
Basically, after a series of gruesome events where it looks like everyone—the station manager, the security guards, even Elvis’s family—has been murdered, it's revealed to be a giant prank. Not just a small "gotcha," but a massive, multi-million dollar elaborate setup orchestrated by Elvis himself to celebrate the station's ratings or to haze the new guy.
But wait. There's more.
Just as the "victim" Dylan is walking away, traumatized and rightfully pissed off, he trips and falls down the stairs, seemingly breaking his neck and dying for real. Elvis is devastated. The horror is back.
And then... Dylan stands up. It was a second prank. The whole movie is a nesting doll of pranks that eventually makes the audience feel like the real target.
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Why the Ending Is So Divisive
- The "Trolling" Factor: Many critics, including those at FilmInk, felt the movie was essentially a "protracted exercise in trolling the audience." It asks you to care about a man's family being murdered, only to tell you that you're a sucker for believing it.
- Mel Gibson’s Performance: Despite the script's leaps in logic, Gibson is genuinely good. He plays the "irredeemable asshole" with a level of comfort that's almost meta.
- The Production: Interestingly, while the movie is set in L.A., it was actually shot in Paris. If you look closely at the background actors or listen to the accents of the "American" police, you can see the French roots poking through.
Is It Actually Worth Watching?
If you’re a fan of "containment thrillers" like Phone Booth or Talk Radio, you'll find something to like here. The first hour is actually quite tense. The cinematography by Xavier Castro uses the claustrophobia of a dark office building really well.
However, you've gotta go into it knowing that the rug is going to be pulled out from under you. If you hate "it was all a dream" or "it was just a joke" endings, stay far away. But if you want to see Mel Gibson lean into his most manic impulses while a movie slowly deconstructs itself, it’s a fascinating watch.
Actionable Insights for Viewers
- Don't take it too seriously. The movie dropped hints throughout that it’s a bit of a B-movie send-up. Elvis even says at one point that the situation "feels like a bad movie."
- Watch the background. Since it was filmed in Paris but set in L.A., there are some fun "spot the European" moments with the supporting cast and the architecture.
- Check out the director's background. Romuald Boulanger was an actual radio host in France. This explains why the radio booth details feel so much more authentic than the actual plot.
Ultimately, On the Line isn't trying to be Braveheart. It’s a cynical, fast-paced, and slightly mean-spirited thriller that wants to see how much an audience will tolerate before they turn the dial. Whether you find the ending brilliant or insulting, it's definitely something you won't forget five minutes after the credits roll.
To get the most out of the experience, try watching it with someone who knows nothing about the twist. Watching their reaction to the final "double prank" reveal is probably more entertaining than the movie itself. You can find it streaming on various VOD platforms like Amazon Prime or Apple TV, and it frequently pops up on Netflix in different regions.