The Union is a fun new espionage thriller/romantic comedy that just landed on Netflix. It’s helmed by Julian Farino who’s best known for directing several episodes of the Entourage series. That might seem like an odd match, but this picture mixes the politics and particulars of a spycraft procedural with the pop and sizzle of an odd couple rom-com. And thanks to a deft script and strong performances from its talented cast, The Union manages to deliver each without undermining the other.
Mike McKenna (Mark Wahlberg) is an everyman construction worker, living a simple life in New Jersey and still carrying a torch for his teenage sweetheart, Roxanne (Halle Berry). When Roxanne reappears twenty years after high school graduation, she’s a top-secret agent working for a covert organization known as “The Union.” Following a disastrous operation in Trieste that left several agents dead, The Union is in desperate need of a fresh face — someone so ordinary that they could blend in anywhere. Roxanne recruits Mike for a high-stakes mission to retrieve a briefcase containing sensitive government intelligence. As Mike is thrust into this world of danger and deception, the spark between him and Roxanne adds a dangerous and sometimes hilarious layer of romantic tension.
One of my favorite aspects of spy films is the concept of a secret world hidden in plain sight: secret stashes of weapons, costumes and disguises; hidden doorways that lead to secret labs and headquarters brimming with secret information. The Union organization is a barely-known conglomerate of international blue collar intelligence operatives. The idea of a working class spook squad is unique enough to hook viewers while still delivering all the beloved tropes that define the spy picture genre. The Union introduces a lot of its bells and whistles during an extended montage where Mike is taught hand-to-hand combat, defensive driving, marksmanship and the particulars of his new secret identity during a breakneck crash course in intelligence work. The sequence does a lot of heavy lifting: it clarifies The Union’s history and mission; it illuminates the details of Mike’s mission and his relationship with Roxanne with equal parts action movie adrenaline and rom-com hi-jinks.
Joe Barton and David Guggenheim’s screenplay takes a lot of the credit here. All the characters in The Union feel three dimensional and unique. Wahlberg and Berry are both total pros in their roles and they’re believable as old flames who were kids in school together. It doesn’t hurt that they also have such a strong cast surrounding them, helping to carry the story along. Jackie Earle Haley, Lorraine Bracco, Dana Delaney and J.K. Simmons all get in on the action here, keeping the intricate mechanics of the cat-and-mouse plot moving, and stealing scenes along the way. Bracco is hilarious as Mike’s busybody mother, and Simmons and Haley excel as hard-bitten career spooks who aren’t sure what to make of their new recruit.
Mike and team keep chasing after the information they’re trying to safeguard, but every prisoner extraction, money drop and ambush seems to blow up in their faces. That’s when a Union member reappears — seemingly back from the dead — claiming to have evidence that there is a leak deep in the organization, and that all of their lives are in danger. But who can you believe, between the laugh lines, bone breaking stunt work, motorcycle chases and the sweet energy between Mike and Roxanne? Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is just to sit back and enjoy this unique romantic actioner.
The Union is currently streaming on Netflix
Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.