This week the studios didn’t give the film critics a movie to review, so I looked for a movie on Amazon Prime and Netflix. Like I said, I’m annoyed that I pay almost $16 a month to Amazon Prime and then they want to charge even more for current movies, so I’ll be switching to Netflix more often.
This week I’m reviewing Mark Wahlberg’s new movie, “The Union.”
Mike McKenna is a regular guy from New Jersey who hasn’t gone anywhere. He lives in the same house, in the same town, with his mom, has worked at the same job since high school, and has the same friends. He even sleeps with his seventh-grade teacher. Suddenly, he is thrust into the world of super spies and secret agents when his high school sweetheart Roxanne kidnaps him and recruits him for a once-in-a-lifetime intelligence mission.
Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg plays Mike. Oscar winner Halle Berry is his high school love Roxanne. Oscar winner JK Simmons is Brennan. Mike Colter is Nick. Alice Lee is Athena. Jessica DeGouw is Juliet. Dana Delany is the seventh grade teacher. This film is packed with strong actors who give good performances. It was nice to see Dana Delany. I became a fan when she starred in the TV series China Beach.
The Union was directed by Julian Farino and written by Joe Barton and David Guggenheim. The script is a fast-paced thriller with lots of twists and turns. There was a lot of violence. One of my complaints that I’ve voiced over the years is that the protagonist shoots a pistol and the villains use automatic weapons. The protagonist kills all the villains without getting a scratch. Hmmm, there’s something silly about that. It just doesn’t make my skepticism go away, or maybe more villains should spend more time at the gun range.
The stunt people were incredible. I’m sure neither Mark Wahlberg nor Halle Berry did their own stunts, considering the cost of insurance. They were jumping from building to building. They were climbing and jumping all over the place and doing things at very high altitudes.
There was a car race that broke my heart when they basically destroyed a bright purple Porsche. It was beautiful.
The Union is a new movie on Netflix. It has violence, some sex, and some bad language, but not so much that it would offend people. However, I don’t think it’s a great movie for young children. I give it 3 stars.
