[NoHo Arts District, CA] – This month’s movie and TV reviews of The Union.
I think many of you remember those days when films that weren’t deemed good enough (or marketable enough) to warrant a major theatrical release would go “straight to video.” (Many past-their-prime film actors earned new life there.) Well, those days have returned, only now these releases find their way to streaming services, and the stars are more than likely to be your garden variety “A-list” actor. Be assured that their presence on your television (as opposed to the preferred confines of a movie theater) does not necessarily indicate their quality…though it might be.
Exhibit A: Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg in The Union (Netflix), directed by Julian Marino from a screenplay by Joe Barton and David Guggenheim. The premise has a bit of promise: Agent Halle Berry’s mission goes horribly south, and to make things right (and preserve mankind…isn’t that always the way), she needs someone “under the radar” and malleable enough to train. (I could tell you more about the plot…but it’s not important) She locates that in high school ex-beau Wahlberg, now content with his small-town, everyman status, but willing to help Berry (whom he still has a crush on) with the mission. J.K. Simmons is also on hand as Berry’s senior agent, as well as Mike Colter as Berry’s fellow agent (and just a little bit more). The action moves along somewhat predictable lines, but the action sequences are handled fairly well, and Berry and Wahlberg work fairly well together. Now, if only they had been given something witty and interesting to say, besides reflecting on the so-called emptiness of Wahlberg’s life, the film might have had more staying power beyond the closing credits.