‘The Union’ (2024) Netflix Movie Review - Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry Search for a MacGuffin

If I describe what happens in The Union, you will consider it as yet another generic Netflix action film. The title refers to a secret organization consisting of average-looking men and women who can easily blend into their surroundings. Halle Berry's Roxanne is a part of this team, and let me tell you, nothing about her appearance can be labeled as "ordinary." But let's throw logic out of the window like it's some disposable bad guy because Mark Wahlberg's Mike, too, soon joins this group of spies. Will your eyes not notice someone like Berry and Wahlberg if you come across them on the street? Anyway, the Union's operation goes awry during the opening scene, leaving quite a few casualties. The operation was all about retrieving a briefcase that can...never mind. The suitcase is a MacGuffin. It just acts as a catalyst to reunite Roxanne and Mike. She wants him to join the Union because he is someone "who can be on a tiny beam a thousand feet in the air" - he used to be an all-star athlete. Mike, expectedly, refuses to accept the deal initially. He argues with Roxanne about leaving him alone or something but then returns to complete his two-week training. On the level of the story, The Union moves pretty predictably. It consists of familiar beats, yet there are pleasures to be had with it. For instance, writers Joe Barton and David Guggenheim know which character would fall on our suspect list. So they play with us a little.

The Union, however, isn't enjoyable due to its writing. It works because of its lead actors and the director, Julian Farino, who infuses vigor into standard spy routines. The rooftop chase, the car chase, the training montage, and the near-escape-by-jumping-into-the-water all give you a rush of adrenaline. You don't merely sit in your seat and think you are watching actors dodging bullets against a plastic background created with cheap CGI. The action is also not blemished by horrible editing (quick cuts that just give the impression of something exciting occurring on the screen). The scenes flow well - our eyes are stuck to the screen. The highlights of The Union are Wahlberg and Berry. Their expressions provide their characters with a convincing backstory. When Roxanne walks into a bar to meet Mike, you feel that these two people are actually seeing each other after a long time and that they share an intimate history. Their conversations contain snappy rhythms, and their faces exude the kind of happiness you find yourself displaying in the company of someone you really like. The Union exists so that we can see Berry and Wahlberg talking and flirting. This is basically a love story about two people who, after completing school, get separated and then reignite the flame years later, thanks to a reunion. This romance is packaged with spy shenanigans.

Berry and Wahlberg shine in each other's presence. When they are not seen together, their spark becomes muted. During such moments, you buy them as ordinary individuals. Lorraine Bracco, playing the role of Mike's mother, turns out to be as, if not more, talented as a secret agent. She has every detail regarding her son, be it his one-night stand with his seventh-grade English teacher (Dana Delany) or his encounter with Roxanne. I wouldn't have been surprised if she had turned out to be, say, an ex-CIA agent. The rest of the supporting cast members seem pretty forgettable, including J. K. Simmons as Roxanne's boss, Tom Brennan. He appears a bit uninterested as if thinking, "I belong in a better production." He is right. Simmons can do more than what is asked of him. But all in all, I didn't mind The Union. It's competently made, and Berry and Wahlberg are in good form. The movie, in its own way, passes with flying colors.

Final Score- [6/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times