You've got to be a hardcore Mel Gibson fan to endure writer & director Romuald Boulanger's low-budget "On the Line," a yacky-yak yarn about an abrasive, Los Angeles, radio talk show moderator who works the zombie shift at KLAT and struggles with a psychotic caller who issues several demands. Our hero learns to his chagrin that a lunatic has kidnapped his wife and young daughter and threatens to kill them if Elvis Cooney (Mel Gibson of "Lethal Weapon") doesn't to plunge to his death from the top floor terrace of the KLAT building. This disturbed caller, who claims to be a disgruntled bomb disposal expert, has an axe to grind with Elvis because the shock jock drove one of the caller's friends to commit suicide. Not surprisingly, Boulanger gave this grim thriller a trial run in a 25-minute short film entitled "Talk," where William Baldwyn played the protagonist. This short film picked up many awards, and this undoubtedly prompted Gibson to star in this loquacious nail-biter. Clocking in at 104 minutes, the R-rated "On The Line" springs one surprise after another, and it will keep you on your toes. However, it all adds up to nothing in the long run like a joke that doesn't make you laugh.
Review of On the Line
