Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry are undoubtedly two of Hollywood's biggest names, having starred in countless blockbuster films over their acclaimed careers. However, their latest collaboration “The Union” does little to showcase their talents, delivering a by-the-numbers spy thriller that fails to engage audiences on the streaming platform Netflix.
The plot centers around retired covert government agents Roxanne and Mike, played by Berry and Wahlberg respectively, who are reluctantly pulled back into their old lives when a critical national security device is stolen. The two characters are essentially chasing unnamed villains from vague adversary nations in an attempt to retrieve the device, which contains classified intelligence said to endanger entire countries if exposed.
While the premise attempts to frame Roxanne and Mike as “underdogs” fighting for the good of many, the story is too thinly sketched and reliant on tired spy genre tropes. Villains are one-dimensionally portrayed as representatives of familiar geopolitical foes without unique characterizations. Gun battles and chases play out in predictable fashion without much suspense built. TheDevice itself appears to only exist as a contrived MacGuffin to drive the plot rather than feel grounded in reality.
Even the chemistry between Berry and Wahlberg's characters fails to ignite meaningful sparks given their forced romantic backstory. Roxanne abruptly taps her ex for help with little established rapport, betting heavily on movie star charisma to fill gaps. But star power alone cannot compensate when the material offers these talented actors so little to work with.
Overall, “The Union” feels like a missed opportunity to utilize Berry and Wahlberg in a memorable espionage thriller. By relying on hoary genre conventions and paper-thin characters, it relegates them to roles that seem beneath their abilities. Given their extensive filmographies, both deserved a project better crafted to showcase their skills. For audiences, it serves only as a rather forgettable feature among Netflix's streaming library.
