Some battles don’t happen on the front lines. They happen inside the team.
The Line (2023) is a stark and gripping military drama that peers into the heart of loyalty, violence, and the blurry divide between duty and conscience. Based on true events and adapted from both real testimonies and the acclaimed podcast of the same name, the film delves into the ethical minefield of modern warfare—and the cost of crossing a line that can't be uncrossed.
Set in Afghanistan, the story follows Eddie Gallagher, a decorated Navy SEAL platoon leader whose battlefield heroism is matched only by whispers of brutality behind closed doors. Through the eyes of the younger SEALs under his command—particularly Corey Scott, the medic who ultimately becomes a key figure in the story—we watch a unit transform from a brotherhood into something far more fractured.
What begins as a tight-knit team hardened by combat starts to unravel as Gallagher’s actions become more erratic and violent. As rules of engagement blur and orders grow darker, the men face an impossible choice: stay silent and loyal, or speak out and risk everything—including their careers, reputations, and even their safety.
The Line is not a typical war film. There are no sweeping heroics or sanitized patriotism. Instead, it places viewers in the moral fog of war, where survival instincts collide with integrity, and every decision carries weight far beyond the battlefield. The film leans into its tension with raw performances, stripped-down cinematography, and the emotional volatility of men under pressure, not just from the enemy—but from each other.
This is not a war about countries. It's a war about truth.
