Director(s): Scott Major
Writer(s): Christopher Gist
Starring: Nadine Garner, Samantha Tolj, Damien Walshe-Howling
Runtime: 104 minutes
Rating: n/a
Our Rating: ★★★ Good / Interesting Concept

The biggest take away from Line Of Fire is you cannot push people when they do not have anything else to lose. In this film, this is a bit of an understatement.

When policewoman Samantha Romans (award-winner Nadine Garner, “Savage River”, “The Doctor Blake Mysteries”) fails to intervene in a shooting where her own son dies, she draws the condemnation of her colleagues and community as well as the attention of ambitious journalist, Jamie Connard (Samantha Tolj). Keen to reignite the career she put on hold to have children, Jamie ignores Romans’ pleas to be left alone and pursues her relentlessly. And with nothing to lose, Romans retaliates by forcing Jamie into a night of terror that threatens everything Jamie holds dear.

Although the film is listed as a thriller, it feels more like an action packed character study. The story mainly revolves around policewoman Samantha Romans, played impressively by award-winner Nadine Garner. Samantha who had apparently lost people in her past only had her teenage son left. Then an active shooter takes over his school, when she was on the scene – alone, she did not go into the school, we are not shown why, but the public brands her a coward. Her fellow cops turn on her. All of that scrutiny however, cannot really compare to her inner  turmoil. Samantha is emotionally and mentally broken.

Then Jamie enters the story, played by Samantha Tolj, as the worst type of tabloid “journalist” wanting so badly to be relevant, to be a star – she passes judgement, trolls Samantha in the unrelenting pursuit of a story. As a fourth wave feminist myself, I hated that this character was so ambitious, that she seemed to lack empathy or compassion. Being a bad person to get what you want, does not pull anyone forward – soapbox moment. Samantha ultimately goes too far in her pursuit of a resolution – which is  again an understatement for her later actions in the film. I will not tell exactly what Samantha does, but she does destroy Jamie’s life in the process.

All of the actors especially the two female leads do an amazing job with these very different characters. The story itself is compelling enough, however I am unsure she would have not received some support from somewhere. Line Of Fire is an emotional movie and it is dark as hell. I am almost certain this is loosely based on the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Although, the officer in that case did not take Samantha’s course of action, but the public ridicule was certainly on par. Maybe rightfully so, that is not for me to judge in this moment.

Overall, the film does its job by making you have more empathy for the situation; it makes you question your thought process of your judgement of Samantha. If you are the mood for a ride on an emotional rollercoaster then definitely See It!

Line Of Fire is currently running on VOD & Digital.