"The Union" Review: A Soulless Espionage Comedy

NetflixNew ReleasesNow Streaming
Written By Kevin Sampson

“The Union” puts Netflix’s flex of money on display. It has the locations, A list stars and action set pieces of a big budget film. However, don’t let the glitz and glam fool you, this movie can’t buy a heart or soul to make it the espionage comedy it wants to be.

Roxanne Hall (Halle Berry) is a top agent in The Union. The Union is like the FBI or CIA but flies under the radar according to boss Tom Brennan (J.K. Simmons). After a mission goes wrong, Hall recruits her old high school sweetheart, Mike McKenna (Mark Wahlberg). He’s a nobody that no one would expect or have intel on. The goal is to get some piece of technology.

Here’s the deal, this movie follows the beats of any fast moving espionage film of the last decade. It starts with a compromised mission. There’s a recruit of the main character, terrible exposition, one liners, and the twists we knew were coming from the opening scene! 

Wahlberg plays his usual every man as a tough guy from Jersey. Berry was amazing as an action star in John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum but she looks and sounds like someone’s auntie who caught a break in film after taking acting classes at the local Y for the past year. This is her film and vehicle but it’s oddly driven. We get a strong supporting cast of J.K. Simmons, Mike Colter, Jackie Haley and Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje who got a check here.

There are plenty of films that you see on Netflix that you’re glad you didn’t have to leave the comfort of your couch to see. This is one of them. There are grand set pieces, decent action choreography and beautiful people, but this movie is something to have on in the background while you work.

Rating: C-

Kevin Sampson

The fact that Kevin Sampson is not just a film critic, but a writer, producer, and director as well makes his understanding of cinema even better. Coming from a theoretical and hands on approach, he understands both sides of the struggle of viewing and creating great works. After receiving an MFA in Film & Electronic Media from American University in Washington, D.C in 2011, Kevin took his love for film to the next level by creating and producing Picture Lock, an entertainment website, podcast, and hour long film review TV show that runs on Arlington Independent Media’s public access station in Arlington, VA. The show covers new releases, classic films, and interviews with local filmmakers in the DMV area. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association, North Carolina Film Critics Association and African American Film Critics Association. He is currently looking forward to filming his first feature film in the near future. He believes that film is one of the most powerful art forms in the world, and he hopes that he can use the craft to inspire others and make a difference in it.

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