Summary
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The Union
falls short of other films in the spy genre, despite the excellent chemistry between Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry. - The plot is absurd and the action lacks intensity, which makes the film seem mediocre.
- Despite a strong cast, the film’s simple story, underwhelming action, and lack of surprises are disappointing.
Although the spy genre usually serves as a starting point for action sequences and adventures around the globe, it can sometimes be used for comedic or even romantic stories. Some of the more notable examples are the Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz-led Knight and DayChris Pine, Tom Hardy and Reese Witherspoon This means war and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Mr and Mrs Smith. Unfortunately for The Unionit never quite reaches the quality of some of its genre counterparts, despite the excellent chemistry between its leads.
Directed by Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry The Union primarily revolves around Mike McKenna, a New Jersey construction worker who is surprised by the sudden return of his high school sweetheart Roxanne Hall, only to quickly discover that she works for the titular intelligence agency and must assist in a mission to recover a list of the true identities of undercover agents around the world. While Mike is thrown in at the deep end with training to prepare for the mission, he and Roxanne are confronted with their past relationship while growing closer again.
The Union conspiracy is absurd
Despite all efforts to convince us that it is intelligent, it is actually astonishingly simple
As filmmakers try to bring new subversive approaches to the spy genre, each film that is not part of a franchise finds a way to introduce viewers to a new form of secret agency, with their own explanations of how they exist beyond public knowledge. Kingsman The franchise (in which Berry actually stars) is one of the more notable recent examples of a functioning franchise, with the concept of a group of wealthy British nobles pooling their resources to fund espionage missions being somewhat believable.
Although the script conveys the idea that their effectiveness is due to their being invisible to the public, it remains unclear why the fate of the world is in their hands.
With The UnionCo-authors David Guggenheim (Designated Survivor) and Joe Barton (The Lazarus Project) attempt to develop their own system for the titular agency, which is made up of former workers. While some characters’ backstories are left to our imagination, others are laid out much more bluntly with their agency codenames, including Jackie Earle Haley’s Foreman, so named because he used to be one. However, rather than feeling like a clever take on the genre, it frequently becomes absurd as the film progresses.
Roxanne and Mike joke about the pay of the organization’s members, saying they earn the same minimum wage as union members, raising the question of how they actually get their funding. Even more puzzling is that the CIA is willing to work with the union, even though the majority have no military experience and are considered underdogs in the espionage world. Although the script conveys the idea that their effectiveness comes from being invisible to the public, it is still not clear why the fate of the world is in their hands.
The union’s measures never go far enough
Despite several stars with a lot of genre experience, the action feels adequate at best
Another big disappointment The Union is that the action in the film seems relatively harmless. With several A-list stars in the cast, it’s clear that Netflix was willing to spend a lot of money producing the film, and yet you never get the feeling that it’s trying to take too many risks with its scenes. There are plenty of gunfights throughout the film, though the direction and editing are mostly choppy and rushed, a far cry from the more exciting scenes in the John Wick Franchise.
The Union
The action is not necessarily bad, as it is quite competently put together.
Even worse is the fact The Union has very few hand-to-hand combat scenes, despite having several genre veterans in the cast. Berry ends up getting the majority of these scenes, and it’s clear that she does all the stunt work herself, as the fights are well choreographed and tough. But since Wahlberg is also known as an action star and the supporting cast – including Suicide Squad‘s Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Luke Cageby Mike Colter – it’s a missed opportunity that there aren’t more fights.
The UnionThe action is not necessarily bad, it is quite well done. Aside from the occasional choppy editing mentioned above, director Julian Farino, better known for his work on Wahlberg’s entourage and HBO’s Ballershows a feel for the filming that is appropriate for the genre, with a three-car chase at the climax actually being quite thrilling. But even if some of Wahlberg’s worst action films deliver some exciting scenes, it’s disappointing The Union doesn’t go any further.
The chemistry between Wahlberg and Berry almost keeps the marriage going Above water
The long-time real-life friends play well together and form a believable couple
Despite the film’s narrative and plot flaws, it can hardly be denied that The Union has some entertainment value thanks to the pairing of Wahlberg and Berry. Interestingly, although the film marks the actors’ first on-screen pairing, they share a friendship that stretches back 30 years. This fact is highlighted in the film’s credits with photos that show them not only in their respective teenage years, but also when they first met at the start of their budding careers.
This friendship ultimately leads to a very electrifying chemistry between Wahlberg and Berry. The Union progresses. The former may play another laid-back Northeasterner who makes a living by cracking frequent jokes, but the latter is a great screen partner for Wahlberg, quick to respond to his various jokes. Even when the stakes are high and the duo take some of the missteps in their past relationship seriously, the emotions between the two feel genuine and we’re left wondering if they end up together.
Despite all efforts, the chemistry between Wahlberg and Berry is never quite sufficient to The Union from being another mediocre Netflix action offering. The story is far too simple and predictable, the world building isn’t thought through enough to be believable, and the action isn’t exciting enough to allow you to completely turn your brain off and enjoy the journey at a decent pace.
The Union is now streaming on Netflix. The film is 107 minutes long and is rated PG-13 due to scenes of strong violence, explicit material, and some vulgar language.
2.5
“The Union” is an upcoming film that explores the intersecting lives of several characters as they navigate complex relationships, personal problems and social issues.
- There is fantastic chemistry between Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry throughout the film.
- The plot is mostly well thought out.
- The story is incredibly simple and absurd.
- The performances of some supporting actors are disappointing.
- For a film that clearly has a big budget, the action never seems big enough.
