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The Union (2024)

The Union (2024)

 


2/10



Starring          

Mark Wahlberg

Halle Berry

 

Directed by Julian Farino

 

I have honestly had enough of Hollywood writers trying to sell us these over-the-top, implausible stories. Seriously, how am I supposed to believe that the world or in this case, The Union and its affiliates is in such peril that they’d resort to recruiting a random guy with zero qualifications? The idea that they could train a nobody like Mike (Mark Wahlberg) in just a few weeks to become an agent is not only ridiculous but also lazy writing.

When I watched The Union, it felt less like a real movie and more like fan service for Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry. The plot is forgettable, and as much as I like these two stars, even they couldn’t save this mess. From the moment Roxanne (Berry) shows up and recruits Mike, her high school sweetheart, you can tell the movie is going to be one of those spies flicks we’ve all seen too many times.

What really bugged me was how little sense it all made. Out of the nearly 8 billion people in the world, why Mike? The movie never gives us a good reason. It’s not like he has a hidden talent or some amazing trait. No, it’s just that he happens to be next on The Union’s list after they lose fewer than ten members on a mission. Ten. That’s hardly a crisis, and yet, they act like they’re on the verge of collapse. How can a multinational security covert organization, be in crisis from the loss of a few men and the next person on the list to save the organization is Mike? I know this is repetition, but you will need to see this movie to know how ridiculous this is.

Mike’s transformation is another stretch. A guy with no military or intelligence background is trained and deployed in a matter of weeks to retrieve a list of global agents and their agencies. It’s as if the writers didn’t even try to make it plausible. Watching this play out made me roll my eyes so much, I could almost see the back of my head. It’s frustrating because I love spy movies, but this one felt like a cheap knock off of better films.

If the plot sounds familiar, that’s because it is. The Union borrows heavily from so many other spy movies but fails to bring anything new or interesting for us to see. It is predictable, and I could not wait for the movie to end.

I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone unless you’re a die-hard fan of Mark Wahlberg or Halle Berry. Even then, you’d probably be better off rewatching their earlier, better films. The Union is the kind of movie you forget about the second the credits roll.

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