The Union 2024 (Netflix)
4 min read
Netflix is at it again, churngin out a rather annoyingly addictive action caper for the masses, this formulaic outing is yet another of their large budget movies for their platform.
Though a bit to familiar doesnt mean that this will be any less entertaining, who doesnt like a good couple hours mindless action as the story that you see coming happens.
The Union, stars Halle Berry as Union Agent Roxanne, and Mark Wahlberg as..erm “mike”, a construction worker from New York.
A construction worker of ourse, he’s the sort of blue-collar, regular guy who enjoys many beers with his mates in the local bar and for some reason, known only to the writers sleeps with his former 7th-grade English teacher (Dana Delany). Needless to say, the background music is the usual fair of Springsteen.
Mike goes through his life living paycheck to paycheck, helping his friends and the usual daily life, that is until for a reason not known to him, his old high school sweetheart Roxanne (Berry) shows up in his bar 25 years after they last met. For some reason everyone seems to think this is nothing special and just acts normal despite wearing a skin-tight black leather outfit. The two enjoy a warm and friendly reunion that they take outside, where she drugs him unconcious and lets him roll down a hill.
Mike wakes up accross the world in London, at the Savoy Hotel for no real reason than no doubt Netflix wanted to brag, where he’s informed by Roxanne and her boss Brennan (J.K. Simmons) that he’s been brought there to join their secret spy organization. Their special mission is to retrieve classified data, that is in enemy hands that could, if failed mean the end of covert ops around the globe and thousands of deaths. It seems that the organisation needs “a nobody, someone with no history,” as the list is in the wrong hands anyone already with them is compromised, obviously! Mike, like the film’s viewers, will just have to go with it or let people die.
After meeting the other members of the team, including medical expert Athena (Alice Lee), combat specialist Frank (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, reuniting with Simmons after Oz), and tech whiz Foreman (Jackie Earle Haley), Mike takes part in the obligatory training montage and somehow not getting injures despite having absolutely no training. All this taking place in a supposedly secret headquartered in the prominent BT Tower which you can literaly see from the whole of London, and is a well known listed building,, the Union doesn’t exactly go well with anonymity.
As you would expect, Mike quickly shows he is easy to train and ready for anything, fitting in with the team members who make sure their missions are peppered with amusing wisecracks. In his first venture with them, he makes a few mistakes because, well, he isnt perfect after only 5 days training, funny that, but he sufficiently demonstrates his secret agent bona fides to embark on a mission with Roxanne during which his old romance may be called into question, though not too strongly to start it seems. It all leads to the stunt-filled action ending, around gorgeously picturesque seaside village location (actually, Piran, Slovenia, which should enjoy a boost in tourism after this), ably orchestrated by director Julian Farino (Ballers, Entourage).
The film is really easy to watch, taking little to no brainpower to watch, with the usual charm of Wharlberg dragging the plot and the characters allong, Berry does an excelent job as the action hero, (and i have to say i had to double take when i looked up her age!), Joe Barton and David Guggenheim’s screenplay features a winking self-awareness that lets us know that nothing in the proceedings is to be taken too seriously at all— as evidenced by such moments as Mike’s amusing phone conversations with his apparently all-knowing mother (Lorraine Bracco, scoring laughs in her brief screen time).
The Union, appears to leave itself open for a series of movies, which has to be the idea here with the budget they spent, the organisation could do anything.
Things to look out for in this one that are just plain weird, look where the Union keep their weapons on the street and wonder how many idiots will break them thinking thats real.. Wonder how Wahlberg is supposed to have gone to high school with Berry when you see their ages… and how come they defy gravity on rooftops without a scratch, at least other movies acknowledge that you will get hurt.
The movie is as you expect, high budget, high action classic tale.. with a couple twists but overall this is one yous hould watch just for the entertainment value..
3.5/5 stars
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