A generic but fun spy caper
Summary
The Union wasn’t anywhere near the trainwreck I was expecting from other reviews as it had some impressive action set-pieces, a few funny lines and a great cast. It’s certainly generic and offers nothing new, but for a quiet Saturday night in you could do a lot worse.
Plot: Mike, a down-to-earth construction worker, is thrust into the world of super spies and secret agents when his high school sweetheart, Roxanne, recruits him on a high-stakes US intelligence mission.
Review: I was hesitant to even watch The Union as the reviews have generally been pretty terrible, but it’s a rainy Saturday and I felt like checking out something new.
The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Halle Berry, J.K. Simmons, Jackie Earle Haley and Mike Coulter; the cast alone had me intrigued and if any movie as Simmons in it, I think it’s already a winner.
The Union is as expected a generic spy caper which is predictable and offers nothing new to the genre, however, I still had a fun time with it as it has some surprisingly impressive action scenes including car chases, shoot-outs and fight scenes. The PG-13 rating may be off putting for some, but the action is still slick and frequent with some nice international locations which are a prerequisite for any good spy tale.
Wahlberg and Berry don’t have much in the way of chemistry and we never even see them kiss which is weird considering their romance was a key part of the story.
The script had several funny moments, but we can tell who the villain is in the opening scene, so there are few surprises here.
It feels like The Union is setting up a potential franchise for Netflix and if we do get more movies, I’d likely check them out as this was far more entertaining than expected.
Overall, The Union is nothing new and as generic as they come, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t watchable, and clocking in at just under 2 hours, it’s well paced with enough action to keep viewers engaged.