Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Roxanne belongs to a super cool spy organization that does the actual work while outfits like the CIA get to take credit for keeping things under control in the world. Sound like a lot of other films or series? Like Gal Gadot’s Heart of Stone or Priyanka Chopra’s Citadel?
Directed by Julian Farino, The Union is a super familiar, formulaic spy movie starring Halle Berry as protagonist Roxanne, a spy whose mission to extract an extremely sensitive file is thwarted by the Russians (obviously). The file is up for sale, and Roxanne’s organization, called “The Union,” needs a ‘nobody’ to pose as their buyer so that a background check won’t expose them. Enter Mark Wahlberg’s Mike, a broke construction worker chosen by Roxanne because they used to date in high school, so she trusts him and also thinks he has the “right skills” for the job.
Both Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry have done their fair share of action flicks, so they are both in their comfort zones and have an easy chemistry as former high school flames Roxanne and Mike. Mike gets a speedy two-week training to go from construction worker to James Bond in less than a month. It’s kinda ridiculous, but then the problem with The Union is that it’s not exaggerated enough! All the action bits are underwhelming, and despite the cute camaraderie between the lead actors, this is not a romantic flick.
In fact, I think it would be fun to see Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg together again in a full-fledged romance. The Union is a slow, low-on-imagination action thriller, which does have a few twists towards the end but just doesn’t have the spy movie excitement. It might be fun if you go in with low expectations and watch it for the lead actors.
Rating: 5 on 10. You can watch “The Union” on Netflix.
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