Succession’s Star’s Forgotten 76%-Rated Drama Reborn in Netflix’s Top
And this time his character isn’t that persistent.
Summary:
- Brian Cox, famous for his role in the HBO’s show Succession, starred in a drama film in between shootings for Succession’s seasons — and now this drama is on top of Netflix ’s watch.
- The film’s plot is focused on the friendship between war veterans that are desperate to deal with their traumas.
- According to the movie’s director, Brian Cox isn’t into such types of story, but he was truly touched by this one.
Before Succession wrapped up its television story last year, one of its main stars briefly switched to another type of character.
In 2022, Brian Cox, known mostly as tough media tycoon and owner of the biggest entertainment conglomerate Logan Roy, starred in the drama Mending the Line — and though the film was mostly overlooked at the time of its release, it’s now getting its second life on Netflix, having climbed up to its top and even surpassed Lindsay Lohan ’s romcom.
Mending the Line’s plot follows marine John Colter who returns home from Afghanistan, but is still haunted by the war traumas, especially by the feeling of the survivor’s guilt that makes him think he should’ve been dead alongside his fallen friends.
In the place where he is sent to Colter meets the Vietnam war’s veteran Ike Fletcher who knows not through hearsay the young soldier’s struggles. Together they take up a new pastime of fly fishing as some kind of therapy that will help them both deal with their traumatized life.
The film got its premiere at the Woodstock Film Festival in September 2022, but landed on Netflix only a bit more than a week ago — and with quite good reviews in stock.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Mending the Line’s rating went straight to 76% with viewers mostly praising Brian Cox’s performance as well as the tenderness of the plot — some users even admitted they’d cried while watching the movie.
And the script with a touching story in the heart of it is the reason why Brian Cox had such a drastic switch from his Succession’s character for a while. As Mending the Line’s director Joshua Caldwell revealed, the actor, despite his grumpy and rough image in the HBO’s series, is the sweetest person in real life.
Caldwell reassured that Cox was touched by the film’s story and brought it to the screen — even though this kind of story isn’t really his thing.