“The Union” is an action comedy featuring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry that should have been more engaging but ultimately falls flat. Despite its promising elements—star power and a substantial budget for international escapades—the film lacks the charm needed to stand out beyond being background noise on Netflix.
Streaming this Friday, “The Union” presents a fairy tale that’s very much a male fantasy. It follows Mike (Wahlberg), a middle-aged construction worker stuck in his small-town life in Patterson, New Jersey. His mundane existence is disrupted when his high school girlfriend, Roxanne (Berry), reappears. Roxanne, now a glamorous and confident figure, has clearly moved on from Patterson. The film kicks off with a “Mission: Impossible”-style mission gone awry in Trieste, Italy, leading to the deaths of most of her team.
The film, based on an idea by Stephen Levinson—Wahlberg’s longtime business partner who co-created “Spenser Confidential”—is directed by Julian Farino, known for his work on “Entourage”. The screenplay, crafted by Joe Barton and David Guggenheim, tries to weave a fantasy where anyone can become an international spy with a bit of training. Yet, “The Union” struggles to find its tonal balance. It doesn’t quite hit the mark as a comedy, even though it clearly aspires to be one.
J.K. Simmons, as the head of the secret agency, is underutilized, and other characters played by Jackie Earle Haley, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Alice Lee lack depth. One of the film’s modestly successful running jokes involves Mike’s undercover persona being from Boston, with a humorous nod to “Good Will Hunting.”
Wahlberg and Berry share an easy rapport but lack the chemistry needed for a convincing will-they-won’t-they romance. The film fails to make the audience believe that either character is still emotionally invested in their high school relationship. With so much life lived between then and now, it’s hard to buy into the idea that their past is still a significant factor.
Ultimately, “The Union” lacks sufficient action, comedy, romance, or artistry to fully engage viewers.
“The Union” streams on Netflix starting Friday and is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for “sequences of strong violence, suggestive material, and some strong language.” The film runs for 107 minutes and receives one and a half stars out of four.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
