Ivan Radford | On 18, Aug 2024

Director: Julian Farino
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Halle Berry, JK Simmons, Mike Colter, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica De Gouw
Certificate: 15

Blue collar, not blue blood. People that keep production lines humming. People who get things done. That’s the pitch for The Union, a secret network of unconventional agents, as described by its head, the brash, sarcastic Brennan (the always-entertaining JK Simmons). It’s a cracking hook for a spy thriller – and if it makes you think of Slow Horses, the Apple TV+ drama, there’s good news and bad news.

We begin, Mission: Impossible-style, with a job that goes horribly wrong, as The Union’s team find themselves outnumbered, outmanoeuvred and outgunned in Italy. And so lead agent Roxanne (Halle Berry) goes back to her roots to recruit a nobody that other agencies won’t be able to spot: Mike (Mark Wahlberg) from New Jersey. He’s a construction worker and just so happens to be her high school sweetheart. Which means he’s willing to follow her into a mission – even though he has no idea what he’s letting himself in for.

So far, so vaguely implausible, but Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry have enough chemistry to sell the idea of two people who care about each other and want to keep one another alive. Does that get you past the training montage that suddenly upskills Mike enough to hold his own in a fight and shooting range? Not really. But The Union is smart enough to know that it works best when it’s in motion, rather than dwelling on character.

Mike’s training montage involves a jaunt to London, and director Julian Farino (responsible for the remarkable and stylish Giri/Haji) makes the most of an opportunity to stage some set pieces in England’s capital city – everything from cars and Tube stations to shootouts in the streets of East London. It sets the bar for some cracking action sequences that also whisk us overseas, while ducking in and out of bars and restaurants.

Wahlberg and Berry bring wisecracks aplenty, alongside Mike Colter as Roxanne’s swaggering ex, Nick, while Jessica De Gouw has a lot of fun as snooty villain Juliet Quinn. But rather than the romantic subplot used as the initial hook to draw viewers, it’s the feeling that the good guys are always on the back foot that makes this espionage outing feel fresh – the script by David Guggenheim and Joe Barton has the underdog feel of Slow Horses and, when it progresses past its opening premise, it’s that core idea that could well spell franchise potential for the future.

Add to Watchlist