Watching the first hour of Joshua Caldwell’s “Mending the Line” is like a surreal puzzle, mostly because of Brian Cox. That’s not bad at all. In fact, for this film, Cox’s presence works in its favor. And the more you are drawn into this movie that you love so much, several things become clear: On one hand, yes, Cox is an amazing actor… but oh my god! It’s difficult to divorce from Logan Roy; the ruthless business magnate he played on Succession and one of TV’s most well-crafted characters ever. This is Cox being himself. Overall, it is okay, however that heavy shadow from Succession finale… it was only a few weeks ago.
Consequently Mending The Line – a film about two completely different military guys who have to find some common ground (Enter Fly Fishing!) has enough going on in it to keep viewers engaged until the very last scene. Here he makes a good pair with Sinqua Walls. The actor possesses powerful charisma; he stood out in Friday Night Lights and 15:17 to Paris. Besides Walls will also appear in The Blackening.
However notwithstanding many clichés Mending The Line is worth discussing by us further than that. Why?
Also featuring Perry Mattfeld (In the Dark; Shameless) Patricia Heaton (Carol’s Second Act), and Wes Studi , Sinqua Walls plays Colter, a stubborn though tired Marine ready to fight his last battle in Afghanistan for good . As expected it doesn’t go according to plan . But then unexpectedly that one last fight turns into life or death situation after which Colter becomes consumed with terrible guilt and anger towards himself Jake Gyllenhaal experienced something similar in The Covenant right? Other movies done this before as well How shall we do this?
Joshua Caldwell’s FILM gives us a deeper dive into Stephen Camelio’s story, entices with beautiful cinematography in MONTANA by EVE COHEN and has something to say. A tough career marine is what Camelio wrote Colter as. Think about the guy’s anger when he gets injured during battle and his doctor (Heaton) sends him to another one of her patients, Ike – an elderly serviceman who is also not in great health. Neither Ike nor Colter want this arrangement but for some reason their doctor believes that Ike’s love for fly-fishing will help calm Colter down from PTSD and at the same time bring down Ike’s nerves that were shaken up by war. Logan Roy fly fishing? Well, it’s a little different than that, because Cox is just so good he can completely lose himself in any role.
Again we have another case here of two people who would never meet under normal circumstances being brought together despite all odds. However, this is breathtaking because Cox and Walls are very convincing in their parts…and Perry Mattfeld and Grieve Lucy too. A few sparks may be seen between Colter and Lucy; although the way things play out are quite interestingly different.
Some things about Mending in the Line are worth observing. Caldwell is a fly fisherman just as Stephen Camelio, who has written for EPSN The Magazine and Field & Stream. Here we can see their knowledge of fly-fishing and the scenes when Ike and Colter get to the stream are some of the best moments. Consider it as kind of nice moving meditation, right? Such images give this movie a necessary sense of reality – they ground all those personal problems that Ike and Colter have in life. ‘Of course!’ ,` you might say to yourself…. I feel like maybe nature heals everything.
There are also other stuffs that draw attention to Mending in the Line. According to (the Nanny), Sinqua Walls met with veterans whose real-life experiences were similar to what Colter underwent in the film—battle, war, injury, rehabilitation—and spoke with them at length. You can see this in Walls’ performance. Actually, there is something definitively different about him from other actors. When I saw him on stage or screen I never felt like I was watching an actor perform a role but instead he was his character itself rather than being an actor acting like another person who happens not be himself . It’s as if we’re sharing Colter’s powerful journey.
One of such facts is brought home by this film which gives one food for thought. According to recent reports up to 22 veterans commit suicide every day while under 40% seem aged less than forty years old; others claim that it is above 40%. War,veterans,and PTSD-all these words come to mind concerning Mending in the Line.To be more specific,the title refers not only fly-fishing but also mental illness treatment.This story was written by Camelio very mindfully and purposefully using both Cox,Walls and picturesque Montana so that Mending in the Line would become one of the most memorable films ever made.
It’s also important to note some truly deep moments in the film, especially when Lucy is reading to Colter or Ike. It has this sweetness, and metaphors about life and moving through transition that should touch everyone somehow. The storytellers may draw a familiar creative line in this story but you will be hooked on it every time.
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