‘The Union’: Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg Unite Against Cardboard Villains in a Cardboard Action Movie

Alci Rengifo

Netflix is quickly becoming the place where once mighty stars go to lead in movies that belong in a recycle bin. “The Union” wants to grab attention by starring Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg, two names that need no introduction. They both still have good movies in them. This is not one of those movies. What it is consists of staying faithful to a particular brand of action movie Netflix tends to greenlight. You hire known names, throw them into the same sort of plot every other Netflix action movie generates, and toss it out there to boast that it’s #1 for the week in the Netflix world of streaming.

Mike (Mark Wahlberg) is a construction worker in New Jersey, enjoying the simple life and sleeping with his 7th grade English teacher. One night at a bar, his old high school sweetheart, Roxanne (Berry) walks in through the door, decked in dark leather. She basically teases him into starting something but once they leave the bar, she knocks Mike out. When he wakes up, they’re both in London, where Roxanne reveals her mission was to recruit him. Turns out when she left their hometown for college, she became an agent for The Union, another top secret agency run by Tom Brennan (J.K. Simmons). Unlike the CIA and other agencies, Brennan recruits from the proletarian class and smirks at the Ivy League. They need Mike’s help in stopping a mysterious villain who is threatening to auction off sensitive information (as they always tend to do).

Director Julian Farino is announcing his transition from TV to film with “The Union.” As a calling card, the movie has enough efficiency in its technical credits to merit Farino as a decent action director. Chases and shootouts look real and not like the CGI fests other Netflix productions become. Aside from that, the assignment stays simple. The actors are such seasoned professionals, that Simmons looks like he did the required scene where his character explains everything in one take. Maybe Wahlberg was asked to tone it down because even his usual, trash-talking persona from other action films is missing. He’s convincing as the confused construction guy learning how to fight and shoot in a quick montage, while pining for Roxanne. Halle Berry will always have charm and presence, even if her character never really articulates what makes Mike so special as to bring him in to save the world. Age also doesn’t exist in this movie, so we just have to believe Wahlberg (who is 53) is sleeping with his 7th grade teacher who looks about his same age.

“The Union” could have been much more. It could have been a tongue in cheek romp in the tradition of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” The filmmakers are aiming for comedy, but Farino is too taken in by needing to focus primarily on the action. Opportunities for good banter are lost in the endless car chases, commandos rushing up stairways and rooftop jumps. While the stars go well together, the story never develops conflict between them. From the beginning, it’s clear both want each other. It would have been more engaging if one of the two spies were dead set on not wanting to rekindle a past relationship. Imagine trying to get the ex back during gunfire and explosions. The Amazon remake of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” understood how to do that, though this movie isn’t exactly trying to elevate the genre. 

You can take a snack or bathroom break during the third act of this movie and miss nothing, despite Roxanne’s ex-husband making a convenient, calculated appearance. After all the fuss, it just takes one gunshot and speedboat to resolve this whole conflict. “The Union” may not disappoint viewers solely seeking an easy escape at work on their computer, though Farino is a good enough director that his sequences look good on a larger screen. But it’s all so corporate approved and planned. It’s like a factory-sealed product that comes with few surprises. The saving grace if you insist on watching are its stars, but even Halle Berry’s shine can only linger for so long on a movie we will all forget by tomorrow.

“The Union” begins streaming Aug. 16 on Netflix.