Monday 23 September 2024

VOD: The Union (dir: Julian Farino, 2024)

"Don't let the pretty face fool you. I'm from the street!"
"Yeah? Which street is that? Sesame Street?"

Mike (Mark Wahlberg) is an ordinary construction worker who gets pulled unconvincingly into the world of glossy cartoon espionage via an encounter with an old girlfriend Roxanne (Halle Berry) in this typically silly Netflix actioner.  Wahlberg finds a sense of everyman resignation that comes across well, whilst Berry is adequate but never feels like a good fit for the role.  The saving graces in the supporting performances are the mighty J.K.Simmons as the spy gang's leader and Lorraine Bracco as Mike's mother.  The London setting used for most of the film is used well, with a couple of picturesque European locations used to bookend it.  The Union is an efficient and functional lightweight actioner that may convince younger viewers but no-one else.

 

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