Mike (Mark Wahlberg), a construction worker from Jersey, is quickly thrust into the world of super spies and secret agents when his high school sweetheart, Roxanne (Halle Berry), suddenly comes back into his life and recruits him on a high-stakes U.S. intelligence mission. Watch on Netflix.
Netflix hit “The Union” is a miss
Reviewed by Chris Garlock (Labor Heritage Foundation newsletter)
The Union is a hit on Netflix, but it’s not really about the labor movement, and it’s a pretty lousy movie, despite starring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry. Wahlberg plays Mike, a construction worker in New Jersey, who finds himself thrust into the world of super spies when his high school sweetheart, Roxanne (played by Berry), enlists his help on a high-stakes US intelligence mission for a shadowy group of ex-agency operatives called The Union. It’s a telling sign that a film called The Union doesn’t bother to say whether Mike’s construction job is union or not. J.K. Simmons runs the team and does have a cool class-conscious rationale for its existence: “(We’re the) invisible army that keeps the world running. The people who do the actual work. Street smarts over book smarts. Blue collar, not blue blood. Able to build our cities, keep production lines humming. That’s who we are. We get shit done.” Unfortunately that’s about the only nod to labor in the film, which has been getting abysmal viewer reviews, the best of which call it “generic” and “cheesy”. Action fans will be disappointed by the rote gunplay, endless — and pointless — car chases and lame dialogue from movie stars who — like us — deserve better. And the big plot twist involving a traitor in The Union is not only completely unbelievable, but misses an obvious opportunity to take a shot at scabs. Hate to say it, but this is one union you won’t want to join.
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The Union (2024)
Gas Station
by Olga Torrico, Italy, 2020, 10 min
Alice works at a gas station. She no longer plays and has sunk within herself the fire that burned within her for the music. When her old music teacher shows up on a hot summer day, Alice begins to wonder if she’s been without her gasoline for too long.
God Dress You
by Mattia Epifani, Italy, 2020, 15 min Father Athanasius is a young Orthodox monk who lives in a monastery perched in the mountains of Greece but cultivates an unspeakable passion for luxury and high fashion
Radio Riders
by Paola Piscitelli, Fabio Corbellini, Italy, 2020, 14 min One of the hidden faces of our cities: the incessant work of the messengers who deal, in precarious conditions, with home deliveries for large platforms
The Last Barber Of Carrera Longa
by Antonio Maciocco, Italy, 2020, 15 min
56 years in 10 square meters. This is the time that Mr. Gavino spent in his barber’s salon, a small shop in the historic center of Sassari. 56 years in 10 square meters could be like a life sentence. Instead, it is about time and the measure of a happy life
Onolulo
by Iacopo Zanon, Italy, 2020, 15 min. Carla is 25 and works as a waitress in a restaurant. Giulia is the same age and to earn a living she strips in front of the webcam on the Internet. One night the two girls will end up needing each other
The Fisherman
by Lucia Lorè, Italy, 2020, 15 min A small seaside town in the south of Puglia. The choice of a little girl. A struggle for self-determination, to break those cages imposed by society and be able to become the first Pescatora in a world of fishermen
Right Time For A Cigarette
by Valentina Casadei, Italy, 2021, 15 min. Christian tries hard to get his younger brother, Giulio, to go to school. Easy for most, but not for them, who do not know their father and whose mother is alcoholic. In addition, Christian works as a bricklayer and his work begins at the same time that his brother has to enter the school
Sons Of The Sun
by Majid Majidi, Iran, 2020, 1h39. The film tells the story of 12-year-old Ali and his three friends: together they try to survive and support their families, between jobs in a garage and petty crimes to quickly find money. In a twist that is miraculous, Ali is entrusted with the task of finding a treasure hidden underground… Khorshid is the story of children forced to work to support their families: today 152 million are in this situation
Planeta Petrila
As miners in the Romanian town of Petrila go down into the mine for the last time, artist and ex-miner Ion Barbu is working on his mission: preserving Petrila’s coal mine as cultural heritage. But in accordance with EU agreements on the closure of the mine, the authorities are committed to demolishing it completely.
Documentary | 90 min | Director: Andrei Dascalescu
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