Review
The Union (Action, Comedy) (2024)
Director: Julian Farino
Writer: Joe Barton, David Guggenheim
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Halle Berry, J.K. Simmons, Mike Colter
An ordinary blue-collar worker meets his high school sweetheart at his usual bar; unbeknownst to him, this isn't a meeting by happenstance, as she drugs him, carrying him to London for a high-stakes international espionage caper.
Initial interest from a pitch in 2020 developed into a spy comedy thriller featuring Mark Wahlberg, later increasing the star power to include a genuine ensemble cast. With a fairly well-laid out resumé, including many notable TV series, Farino could provide some success for the streaming giant. Filming took place throughout Europe, including London and Trieste, with some parts in the U.S. It was produced by Municipal Pictures and distributed by Netflix.
In secrecy, a covert organisation called The Union handles discrete operations, often hiring inconspicuous working-class experts. Once they botch a significant mission in Trieste, Italy, they pivot and operative Hall (Halle Berry) provides the idea to recruit someone from her past—namely her ex-boyfriend Mike (Mark Wahlberg). Meeting him at his favourite local pub, he's bagged and gagged to London, where he awakens and is given a crash course to be a temporary Union agent. They explain he was chosen due to being an unknown asset and thus won't be recognised while performing his task to acquire intelligence on a secretive underground auction by the underworld.
To describe "The Union" briefly, it's most similar to franchises such as "The Fast and the Furious" and "Mission Impossible". It thrives on high-intensity and a barebones script to provide a globe-trotting journey with little elaboration in between. It is not exactly Farino's usual style, but he tries to compromise on Netflix's forte.
With the mission in Trieste flashing by, establishing The Union as a highly-organised unit performing tasks at their discretion, it quickly appears presumably a Russian terrorist unit outwits them—as we know, it's always the Russians. Eventually, North Korea and Iran are also involved because—America. What we see seems slick and digestible, typical for a Netflix project. However, this features a wide array of familiar faces like: J.K. Simmons, Mike Colter, Jackie Earle Haley, among Wahlberg and Berry, of course. The ensemble cast fairs well for some duration. They combine their unique skill sets to perform their daring mission and find success between violent and highly conspicious firefights in city centres. All of this has a distinct videogame feeling, guns being around for the picking in countries where they're banned, locked away in electrical boxes and lockers, and law enforcement being nowhere in sight.
An example of guns-blazing cinema, Farino and his writers never even attempted to make a believable script, and that is exactly the intention. You're not meant to be carried away by intriguing schemes and narrative complexity, while there is some romantic tension between Berry's Hall and Wahlberg's Mike saved for some time to provide narrative-backing for The Union. Their past romance is a red thread throughout, and the drama behind it all is allowed to breathe as the feature dips halfway, providing dialogue nobody truly cares for, just continue with the shooty-shooty bang bang.
For those aware of what to expect, this straight-to-streaming action flick provides a basal around-the-world caper, better than some others and with decent acting provided. It's just not the whole picture as its marketed, mostly tempting quick, in-the-moment quips instead of relying on comedy and paying most attention to the stunning locales and fervent action set pieces. Much like The Union itself, it serves a purpose and works in that way.
Verdict
An uneasy union between Farino and Netflix.
6,5
