PG-13 | 1h 47m | Drama, Comedy, Action, Adventure, Thriller | 2024
Although it often recalls elements of the “James Bond” and “Bourne Identity” franchises, “Wanted,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” and “Knight and Day,” the new Netflix action thriller “The Union” (original title: “Our Man From Jersey”) never feels recycled or derivative.
Penned by Joe Barton and David Guggenheim, “The Union” breaks out of the starting gate at a full gallop. In the Italian city of Trieste, a group of six Union operatives attempt to smuggle an agency defector, who is in possession of top-secret Intel, out of a swank hotel. The “Union” is a supersecret, unacknowledged branch of an unspecified, real-life alphabet agency.
All but one of the operatives (Halle Berry as Roxanne) and the defector are killed, and the Intel briefcase is snagged by an unknown entity.
Regular Guy Mike
Cut to Paterson, New Jersey, where regular-guy welder Mike (Mark Wahlberg) and his coworkers are wetting their whistles at the local watering hole after a typically long day. In walks Roxanne, Mike’s high school sweetheart whom he hasn’t seen in a quarter century.They exchange flirty pleasantries and good-natured barbs while playing pool and downing shots and beers. Roxanne suggests they leave, which Mike perceives as a romantic overture. The next scene finds Mike waking up in a London hotel hours after he was surreptitiously sedated by Roxanne.
Her intentions aren’t romantic, but rather to sway him into joining the Union. The mission is to retrieve the briefcase, which will soon be auctioned on the black market for a sum estimated in the hundreds of millions.
As someone with zero secret agent skills, Mike can’t figure out why Roxanne would want him on her team. Roxanne’s boss Brennan (J.K. Simmons in full scene-stealing mode) shares Mike’s doubts, but because he trusts her instincts, gives it a green light. After some contemplative self-reflection, Mike decides to give it a go, partially because he hopes it will lead to a second chance with Roxanne. His biggest fear is letting her down.
Purposeful Omission
I’ve chosen not to identify, mention, or allude to a character (and actor) that shows up in the final act as this would be a major plot spoiler. Even after this character shows up, his or her motivation changes, and letting you know that in advance would ruin the viewing experience.Known mostly for his work on the TV shows “Entourage,” “Ballers,” and “Coronation Street,” director Julian Farino was an unlikely choice to helm a feature of this magnitude and scale, one that bears little to no resemblance to the mostly character-driven small-screen productions on his résumé.
To put this in perspective, there are 72—count ‘em, 72—credited stunt performers here. Most action flicks, at max, have a third of that number. There are also 35 credited second, third, and other various assistant director unit personnel. The most I’ve ever heard of for a single production was 10. The closing credit roll for this movie lasts nine minutes; that’s a whole bunch of people working on just one feature film.
Full Tilt
This isn’t a slam by any stretch; in fact, it’s a compliment. “The Union” is a high-octane, full-tilt-scale production. Every penny (the exact amount unknown) Netflix sunk into it was money well spent. It’s a spectacular visual and narrative feast on every level. I’m surprised Netflix didn’t release it in theaters exclusively for a couple of weeks prior to streaming. It’s one of the best late-summer movies I’ve ever seen.Without giving anything away, the film more than hints that there will be a sequel. In my opinion, only a handful of sequels in the history of movies worked. The last one was “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” from 1991.
If Wahlberg, Berry, and Simmons were to agree to appear in another installment, I’d be on board and would eagerly anticipate it. Their collective chemistry here is off the charts. It is possible to recapture that magic, but I sincerely doubt a follow-up could get close to matching the original.
