The Union
Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): August 16, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
44
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
12
Negative:
7
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Entertainment WeeklyJordan HoffmanAug 15, 2024
All of the action is shot cleanly, and I could always tell where everyone was in relation to one another during the setpieces — which may not sound like much of a win, but if you think that, you clearly haven't watched too many direct-to-streaming movies. If you want something done efficiently, hire a union man. Read full review
70
ColliderShaina WeatherheadAug 15, 2024
The Union combines action, humor, and heat for a fun, exciting thrill ride fit for your next Netflix watch. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckAug 15, 2024
The Union proves as entertaining as its Netflix algorithms would have predicted, balancing its impressive star wattage with lavish production values to remind viewers of the value of their monthly subscriptions. Read full review
60
Total FilmMatt LookerAug 15, 2024
Berry and Wahlberg’s engaging dynamic elevates this nonsensical action caper. Forgettable fun. Read full review
60
The GuardianAdrian HortonAug 15, 2024
The mood is light, the stunts impressive and, mercifully, the film is not nearly as cheap-looking nor dull as Netflix brethren such as The Man from Toronto or Lift. Read full review
51
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiAug 15, 2024
There’s nothing really to recommend The Union except the fact that it exists and you can watch it. It’s a harmless waste of time because it’s a serious waste of a good idea. Read full review
50
Screen RantGrant HermannsAug 22, 2024
Despite their best efforts, though, Wahlberg and Berry's chemistry is never quite enough to fully lift The Union from being another mediocre Netflix action offering. The story is both far too simple and predictable, the worldbuilding isn't thought out enough to be believable, and the action isn't so exciting as to fully turn one's brain off and enjoy the decently paced journey. Read full review
50
We Got This CoveredMarco Vito OddoAug 16, 2024
Netflix's The Union is a formulaic spy thriller that wastes its promising premise. Despite the star power of Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry, the film suffers from a predictable plot, mediocre action sequences, and shallow character development. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleAug 15, 2024
They can’t make “The Union” better than a genre movie, but they can make it better than a decent genre movie. Also, considering the fact that Berry is one of the most misused and underused major stars of the last two decades, any role that shows her screen personality to good advantage is probably worth a look. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperAug 15, 2024
Anything is possible in the world of “The Union.” I mean, anything. Read full review
50
IndieWireChristian ZilkoAug 15, 2024
Even if the film‘s ridiculous premise is at least chuckle-inducing — and sold rather convincingly by a cast that all seems to be on the same page about how stupid it is — its convoluted MacGuffin and predictable twists ensure that no amount of expensive action sequences from director Julian Farino or genuine chemistry between Wahlberg and Berry can elevate “The Union” into something worth watching. Read full review
50
VarietyPeter DebrugeAug 15, 2024
The trouble with The Union is that neither the film nor its characters have much in the way of personality, to the point it’s not even clear how they feel about one another. Read full review
40
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeAug 16, 2024
The only distinguishing feature of this exhilaratingly bad film is its apparent close association with London’s tourism authorities. Read full review
40
EmpireJohn NugentAug 16, 2024
Deeply forgettable and disposable, this is the kind of action-comedy you will feel like you have seen before. But Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg are good fun, at least. Read full review
40
IGNMatt FowlerAug 15, 2024
The love story between Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry works, or at least meagerly satisfies, on only surface levels, as does most of the movie. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreAug 19, 2024
It’s generic in the extreme, predictable to a laughable degree and littered with dialogue as inane and cliched as the characters and the situations. Read full review
38
The Associated PressLindsey BahrAug 15, 2024
There’s just not enough there — action, comedy, romance, art — to demand (or, rather, earn) your full attention. Read full review
38
The Associated PressLindsey BahrAug 15, 2024
There’s just not enough there — action, comedy, romance, art — to demand (or, rather, earn) your full attention. Read full review
30
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergAug 15, 2024
The gimmick is that The Union, in addition to being an action film, is also a sort of comedy of remarriage for Roxanne and Mike, except that the screenwriters, Joe Barton and David Guggenheim, haven’t brought much in the way of levity to the relationship. Nor have they applied much ingenuity to the big set pieces. Read full review
27
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerAug 16, 2024
The movie seems to pre-suppose that in our desperation to spend time with Wahlberg and Berry, any empty stupid simulacra will suffice as an excuse. Read full review
25
ObserverRex ReedAug 19, 2024
This contrived, pointless, blindingly boring vehicle is a pathetic, desperate attempt to keep Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg’s careers alive. Read full review
25
RogerEbert.comPeyton RobinsonAug 16, 2024
The Union delivers tonal whiplash on account of its failure to exceed at either end of its genre attempt at action-comedy. Read full review
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