221 reviews
I was really liking it, until it turned into...
Great Fun
On The Line
Overall this was all good fun, at best it was a TV movie with a few twists, the acting was firm and where it was clunky that was entirely deliberate as you will see as the plot unfolds.
Mel Gibson was good and I must say I really rather enjoyed it, some critics on here are overly harsh or picky this was never meant to be an Oscar contender lol. The direction was crisp the side actors delivered, the music was good and unobtrusive and there was a good deal of comic gags throughout despite this being a thriller
I'm gonna give this a firm 6 outta 10 for pure entertainment, for me it was a downloader to watch on the home cinema with ice cream midweek.
Overall this was all good fun, at best it was a TV movie with a few twists, the acting was firm and where it was clunky that was entirely deliberate as you will see as the plot unfolds.
Mel Gibson was good and I must say I really rather enjoyed it, some critics on here are overly harsh or picky this was never meant to be an Oscar contender lol. The direction was crisp the side actors delivered, the music was good and unobtrusive and there was a good deal of comic gags throughout despite this being a thriller
I'm gonna give this a firm 6 outta 10 for pure entertainment, for me it was a downloader to watch on the home cinema with ice cream midweek.
- martimusross
- Aug 10, 2023
- Permalink
Predictable
- drwhowizard
- Feb 7, 2023
- Permalink
Oh dear God walk away from this
- luvireland-11253
- Mar 26, 2024
- Permalink
Has an energy that makes it impossible to dislike
I probably wasn't planning to watch 'On the Line', however the synopsis sounded like my kind of movie and I realised it had been a long time since I'd seen Mel Gibson in anything. So I gave it a shot. Man, the energy in this one was wild.
The film is clunky, I'll start by saying. Gibson's acting is a class above everyone else. He's so natural on screen that it sort of brings everyone else down a peg, simply by comparison.
The movie gets into the action fairly quickly. In fact that is something I have to give praise to, is that the overall pacing is very good. Once things kick into gear it doesn't really relent.
So I was having a good time with this movie, wondering where it was all headed, when suddenly I felt like I got hit by a sledge hammer. I haven't been that caught off guard by a plot twist in a long time. I thought surely not. But yes, sure enough they went with it.
I found it almost impossible to dislike this film. Is it perfectly made, no. Is it as polished as other films, perhaps not. But is it more entertaining and bold than your average film, absolutely. 7/10.
The film is clunky, I'll start by saying. Gibson's acting is a class above everyone else. He's so natural on screen that it sort of brings everyone else down a peg, simply by comparison.
The movie gets into the action fairly quickly. In fact that is something I have to give praise to, is that the overall pacing is very good. Once things kick into gear it doesn't really relent.
So I was having a good time with this movie, wondering where it was all headed, when suddenly I felt like I got hit by a sledge hammer. I haven't been that caught off guard by a plot twist in a long time. I thought surely not. But yes, sure enough they went with it.
I found it almost impossible to dislike this film. Is it perfectly made, no. Is it as polished as other films, perhaps not. But is it more entertaining and bold than your average film, absolutely. 7/10.
- jtindahouse
- Nov 6, 2022
- Permalink
Decent start, horrible ending
- jonathanmdummer
- Mar 27, 2024
- Permalink
A different take on an old subject
I'm not sure why there are so many negative reviews of this, as my wife and I (and she is hard to please) both really enjoyed this film.
Yes, there are plenty of riffs from other films, as you'd expect with this kind of storyline, but that's not unusual in any film, and there are plenty of unexpected twists and turns to keep you interested and the film was ended very well.
Gibson fell out of favour with filmmakers for too long and is now rebuilding his career in later life, and while he is a little hammy at times in this, and certainly takes cues from his Ransom performance, he is still a fine actor and he steers this film along nicely. All of the supporting cast, many relatively unknown, give solid performances, nothing too outstanding, but nothing terrible either.
Overall then, an enjoyable thriller with some cool twists that might surprise you. A solid watch.
Yes, there are plenty of riffs from other films, as you'd expect with this kind of storyline, but that's not unusual in any film, and there are plenty of unexpected twists and turns to keep you interested and the film was ended very well.
Gibson fell out of favour with filmmakers for too long and is now rebuilding his career in later life, and while he is a little hammy at times in this, and certainly takes cues from his Ransom performance, he is still a fine actor and he steers this film along nicely. All of the supporting cast, many relatively unknown, give solid performances, nothing too outstanding, but nothing terrible either.
Overall then, an enjoyable thriller with some cool twists that might surprise you. A solid watch.
You will hate yourself for having watched this at the end.
Prepare to lose 1:44 Of your life watching this movie just to be enraged at the ending..
is that a spoiler? I don't think so.
I was waiting until the last minute for a big bus to come and run over everyone in this movie.
I'm surprised It took 30 executive producers to make this pathetic thing.
I was hoping for a talk radio type of movie but it's just an endless run around ending in complete and total frustration and disappointment for all audience members.. As usual with these lame movies, they put a big name at the top and awful actors and bad casting right under... You'll be asking for your money back if this even gets to a theatre.
I hope they lose money with this movie.
1000 thumbs down..
I was waiting until the last minute for a big bus to come and run over everyone in this movie.
I'm surprised It took 30 executive producers to make this pathetic thing.
I was hoping for a talk radio type of movie but it's just an endless run around ending in complete and total frustration and disappointment for all audience members.. As usual with these lame movies, they put a big name at the top and awful actors and bad casting right under... You'll be asking for your money back if this even gets to a theatre.
I hope they lose money with this movie.
1000 thumbs down..
- sevsevencom
- Nov 4, 2022
- Permalink
Well-made programmer with an inspired star turn
On the Line by Romuald Boulanger is a resourceful and well-acted Mel Gibson vehicle in which director smartly puts his star front and center for an hour and the half and charisma does the rest.
Mel Gibson's recent output - with the exception of extraordinary Father Stu - consists of so-called geezer teasers which featured him supporting roles simply distributed throughout the runtime in order to make him seem like an important character. However, unlike Bruce Willis whose late pre-retirement output was based around similar projects, Mel Gibson never phoned it in and always did his best even with low-grade material.
Thus giving Mel Gibson the actual spotlight and making the film that really relies on his star power in a leading role is a coup not just for this project but for Mel's fans as well. After a long while, maybe after Blood Father made by another Frenchman Jean-Francois Richet we see Mel actually running the proceedings with authority.
The first act of the picture feels not only genuinely inspired but loads of gallows humour and the genuine sense that Elvis Cooney is a real edgelord feels as if Mel was really hands on even when it comes to the script. In later developments which rely on the closed quarters thriller dynamics and feel slightly mechanical, Mel Gibson elevates the material.
Boulanger surrounds Gibson with an international cast with some great elements but their multiple accents do remind us that film is set in Los Angeles but shot in Paris. Maybe, some decisions could have been different when it comes to either setting or cast, but otherwise the production is resourceful and decently mounted.
In the end, the only element that could have been better is the thriller element. With more inventive set-up, something along the lines of good Blumhouse work and with Mel's performance which is already there this could have been a classic.
Anyhow it's a really good programmer with an inspired turn by Mel Gibson.
Mel Gibson's recent output - with the exception of extraordinary Father Stu - consists of so-called geezer teasers which featured him supporting roles simply distributed throughout the runtime in order to make him seem like an important character. However, unlike Bruce Willis whose late pre-retirement output was based around similar projects, Mel Gibson never phoned it in and always did his best even with low-grade material.
Thus giving Mel Gibson the actual spotlight and making the film that really relies on his star power in a leading role is a coup not just for this project but for Mel's fans as well. After a long while, maybe after Blood Father made by another Frenchman Jean-Francois Richet we see Mel actually running the proceedings with authority.
The first act of the picture feels not only genuinely inspired but loads of gallows humour and the genuine sense that Elvis Cooney is a real edgelord feels as if Mel was really hands on even when it comes to the script. In later developments which rely on the closed quarters thriller dynamics and feel slightly mechanical, Mel Gibson elevates the material.
Boulanger surrounds Gibson with an international cast with some great elements but their multiple accents do remind us that film is set in Los Angeles but shot in Paris. Maybe, some decisions could have been different when it comes to either setting or cast, but otherwise the production is resourceful and decently mounted.
In the end, the only element that could have been better is the thriller element. With more inventive set-up, something along the lines of good Blumhouse work and with Mel's performance which is already there this could have been a classic.
Anyhow it's a really good programmer with an inspired turn by Mel Gibson.
Nice flick!
Very enjoyable entertainment, good twists and a fabulous Mel Gibson. No masterpiece but a nice flick!
Don't understand the bad reviews.
In my book it's all about managing expectations. If you choose a movie because the plot line interests you, you like the cast and you're in for a relaxing few hours in front of the telly then you're rarely disappointed.
Although if you are a movie Connaisseur or critic, you might want to apply different criteria to pick your movies to avoid disappointment.
In this case it did what it said on the tin and provided very enjoyable light entertainment, a good portion of suspense and a good ending.
Don't understand the bad reviews.
In my book it's all about managing expectations. If you choose a movie because the plot line interests you, you like the cast and you're in for a relaxing few hours in front of the telly then you're rarely disappointed.
Although if you are a movie Connaisseur or critic, you might want to apply different criteria to pick your movies to avoid disappointment.
In this case it did what it said on the tin and provided very enjoyable light entertainment, a good portion of suspense and a good ending.
- Withoutrage
- Feb 12, 2023
- Permalink
Wow
Im not sure who's money went into this thing, but it may be one of the worst scripts of all time.
To say the acting was cringey doesn't quite sum it up for me, I tend to thing that would be a let off.
It kind of feels like I'm watching an acting class where a group is given a scenario to improvise. And I don't mean an acting class filled with people trying to be career actors. I mean just random people who took a free class for a little hobby on weeknights, and they go for a pizza together afterwards.
As far as Mel Gibson goes, I suppose if someone offered me a bunch of cash to do something embarrassing that nobody would ever remember.. I'd probably consider it too.
To say the acting was cringey doesn't quite sum it up for me, I tend to thing that would be a let off.
It kind of feels like I'm watching an acting class where a group is given a scenario to improvise. And I don't mean an acting class filled with people trying to be career actors. I mean just random people who took a free class for a little hobby on weeknights, and they go for a pizza together afterwards.
As far as Mel Gibson goes, I suppose if someone offered me a bunch of cash to do something embarrassing that nobody would ever remember.. I'd probably consider it too.
Decent Mel Gibson flick
Elvis Live On The Line
- disnotbetty-10195
- Apr 3, 2023
- Permalink
Line of Crap!!!
Utter horse manure
Awful awful awful. It's hard to review this film without spoilers. I wis I could spoil it for you to save you all the misfortune of wasting your life watching this badly acted, limp 'thriller'.
Gibson growls his way through one of the worst plots I have ever been unlucky enough to sit through. It was doing OK until...well...if you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about.
Everyone (except Gibson) is better than this movie and should hang their heads for taking us on a rather long journey down the toilet bowl of poor poor plots. I'd give it a zero but for some reason IMDB won't allow that.
Gibson growls his way through one of the worst plots I have ever been unlucky enough to sit through. It was doing OK until...well...if you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about.
Everyone (except Gibson) is better than this movie and should hang their heads for taking us on a rather long journey down the toilet bowl of poor poor plots. I'd give it a zero but for some reason IMDB won't allow that.
- iainlee-43271
- Nov 16, 2022
- Permalink
Not bad at all
I think the movie needed someone with a strong villain voice thats all .voices like keifer Sutherland (phone booth),James spader ( The blacklist) or maybe Michael Sheen (unthinkable). Besides that the movie was not bad at all .Mel Gibson played his part very good as a lead character.i mean its not a bad thing to select or give new coming actors and actresses a chance but sometimes its wise to select the best quality so that your movie can sell. I still have faith in you. I mean Quinton Tarantino invested/picked best characters in Django and took awards for that...I think you can also do better.
- sindizwane
- Nov 7, 2022
- Permalink
Shockingly TERRIBLE!!
I agree with one of the other (human) reviewers. Anything over a 2 is a bot or marketing. This was terrible! Awful!! Laughable!!!
Acting was bad, script was super cheezy. This was extremely disappointing. Shame on Mel Gibson. With his career history, he should have been able to take 1 look at this script and know it was awful! Instead, he played it out, collected his paycheck and took my money....
The story line could have made this a one-of-a-kind. But it fell so far short, the writers were the worst. Directing was ok, acting was poor, but the writing was like it came from a 10 year old. No offense to 10 year olds...
The worst movie we've seen, EVER!
Acting was bad, script was super cheezy. This was extremely disappointing. Shame on Mel Gibson. With his career history, he should have been able to take 1 look at this script and know it was awful! Instead, he played it out, collected his paycheck and took my money....
The story line could have made this a one-of-a-kind. But it fell so far short, the writers were the worst. Directing was ok, acting was poor, but the writing was like it came from a 10 year old. No offense to 10 year olds...
The worst movie we've seen, EVER!
- amanjourney-78822
- Nov 24, 2022
- Permalink
The ending is a little dumb, but everything else is amazing
- zachshaw-70078
- Aug 27, 2024
- Permalink
Regardless of the poor reviews this is is a fun ride.
- illyasmith66
- Nov 30, 2022
- Permalink
Gibson needed $
Oh my lord. Holy moly canoly.
I wish I could warn everyone about this movie. This movie is so bad. So bad. I am a huge fan of Mel Gibson and watch all his movies. But damn, this one went down, crashed and burned.
I feel so sorry for him that he had to do this. The only reason why he did this were the $$$. Why else would he do this movie?
Low budget, bad comedy, bad actors and actresses and nothing else is going on here. It isn't even a thriller. I would not count this as a thriller. It is a bad comedy movie.
This story and movie could have been so great, but I don't know why it felt like watching a kids theater play.
Please folks don't waste your time seeing this movie. But I assume actresses and actors can't always do amazing movie. It has to be some kind of balance. LOL.
But damn this wasn't good folks, not good at all. I am super disappointed.
I wish I could warn everyone about this movie. This movie is so bad. So bad. I am a huge fan of Mel Gibson and watch all his movies. But damn, this one went down, crashed and burned.
I feel so sorry for him that he had to do this. The only reason why he did this were the $$$. Why else would he do this movie?
Low budget, bad comedy, bad actors and actresses and nothing else is going on here. It isn't even a thriller. I would not count this as a thriller. It is a bad comedy movie.
This story and movie could have been so great, but I don't know why it felt like watching a kids theater play.
Please folks don't waste your time seeing this movie. But I assume actresses and actors can't always do amazing movie. It has to be some kind of balance. LOL.
But damn this wasn't good folks, not good at all. I am super disappointed.
it had incredible potential
On the line was a very... interesting movie, the concept is fascinating and that was enough for me to give it a watch. Whilst the acting was decent for the most part, some parts that were intended to be serious made me laugh but that was only once or twice. However the ending was shallow- I get why its like that but I'm not sure why they actually went with it. Time absolutely flew whilst I was watching it though and it kept me on the edge of my seat and that's all I can really ask of a thriller. I'm not sure what but something just kept me watching, was it the concept? Was it the characters? I cant say for sure but what I can say is that its a hit or miss film.
- lukefletcher-33649
- May 11, 2023
- Permalink
Solid classic Mel Gibsom
A little Die Hard, some The Game, and some good old Mel Gibson fun. While On the Line isn't the greatest movie, it held my interest with non-stop suspense. It is a real nail-biter until you realize what is really happening. Mel does a great job of playing Elvis the Talk-show host, and delivers a good believable portrayal of a man on the edge. The story gets moving very early on and builds to a crescendo that might be a bit too predictable. But still very entertaining. It's good to see Mel Gibson in a decent role again, and while this movie wasn't a Lethal Weapon or a Braveheart it was a pretty decent movie.
Bad performance, bad turn, waste of time.
Dire
Solid Entertainment!
I only read the brief IMDB synopsis and a few of the user reviews before plonking down $2.99 to stream this, but I thought it was well worth the money. Best Picture material....this ain't, but it is a solid B-movie and goes to show that you don't need to spend a fortune making a movie as long as you have a creative story and a quality cast...kudos to Mel Gibson and Kevin Dillon for having some fun with their characters.
This title was on a rental sale on the streaming platform I use, but I would have felt equally satisfied if it had cost $5.99. This is only my second review after using IMDB for 20 years. Writing this review is my testament to the entertainment I derived from watching this film and my thanks to all of the people involved that worked to bring this fun film to fruition.
I'm sure I'll watch this again in a few years and I plan to recommend it to several friends.
This title was on a rental sale on the streaming platform I use, but I would have felt equally satisfied if it had cost $5.99. This is only my second review after using IMDB for 20 years. Writing this review is my testament to the entertainment I derived from watching this film and my thanks to all of the people involved that worked to bring this fun film to fruition.
I'm sure I'll watch this again in a few years and I plan to recommend it to several friends.