I liked the ending of The Union just as much as the rest of the movie. As I said in my review, Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry are a surprising duo, which makes me want more. This may be a cheap Mission: Impossible Netflix popcorn movie, but it works.
As The Union established early on, an intel leak was distributed to illegal auctions for a price. Every person who has served with Western-Allied military and intelligence agencies is named on the intel. It’s an unprecedented national security risk for the USA, and the entirety of the Western world depends on keeping it safe. Of course, one of the suspected groups wanting the intel via the auctions is Russians, but the movie quickly establishes it’s other groups, too.
I did find it funny that the groups of people seeking this intel weren’t clear, but this did not diminish the movie’s experience.
The Mole
As we reach the final act of The Union, the agency’s headquarters has been blown up in London (the HQ is the BT Tower), and Athena has been sadly killed.
With the intel leaks not resolved, the CIA got involved and intervened in The Union’s plans.
Eventually, it’s revealed that Nick Faraday (Roxanne’s ex) is the mole within The Union, which explains why every mission has felt undermined.
Nick explains to Roxanne and Mike (while attempting to retrieve millions of dollars from an auction) that he became disillusioned with repeatedly saving the world and not being credited for it. He accuses Tom Brennan of treating him like a blue-collar worker and being part of the cogs of an Intelligence Agency.
Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg get intimate at the end of ‘The Union’ (Credit – Netflix)
Roxanne and Mike team up to bring Nick down
The very final scenes (at least, the action ones) see Netflix’s A-list cast pay dividends as Roxanne and Mike team up to bring down Nick and stop the intel leaks indefinitely. They have to do this while also swerving the CIA, which believes they are rogue agents.
There are plenty of action scenes, and eventually, Roxanne and Mike stop Nick.
Mike and Roxanne get together as the ending of The Union plans a sequel
What I love about Mark Wahlberg’s character Mike is that back in his hometown in America, he’s clearly “one of the lads” — because he’s been on dangerous missions with Roxanne, he’s missed out on a stag do as the best man.
But he does make it to his best friend’s wedding, and I felt some relief for the character.
During the wedding, Roxanne and Mike have a close chat, which increasingly turns intimate as they decide to find the nearest bathroom to have sex.
However, on the way to the bathroom, Tom Brennan stops them and explains that Mike has a job at The Union and is assigning them both to a new mission. This could lead to a sequel to The Union, which will be based heavily on the success of this movie.
The question is: would a sequel work? I certainly think so. Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry have an exciting on-screen chemistry that has the potential to extend to a trilogy. The writers would need to stick the landing on a sequel storyline, but it would not have to be complicated. It would work out as long as the tone and intention remained to entertain the audience with impressive action and a half-decent, cheesy, and self-aware script.
RELATED:
