The Union (2024 film): Reviews, No Kiss & Locations

There’s something oddly compelling about watching two Hollywood heavyweights trade banter through a spy comedy that critics just can’t agree on. The Union, starring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry, arrived on Netflix on August 16, 2024, with a straightforward pitch: a construction worker gets recruited into a secret intelligence unit. Yet the film sparked conversations far beyond its plot — especially about a kiss scene that never happened and what that decision says about modern streaming filmmaking.

Release date: August 16, 2024 ·
Director: Julian Farino ·
Streaming platform: Netflix ·
Rotten Tomatoes score: 38% (critics), 45% (audience) ·
Metacritic score: 44/100 ·
Budget: Estimated $50–70 million

Nine key specs cover the essentials of The Union. One pattern: modest expectations from the industry, moderate performance from audiences.

Is The Union Movie Worth Watching?

For many Netflix subscribers, the question isn’t whether the film is award-worthy — it’s whether 109 minutes will feel like time well spent. The critical reception offers a divided answer.

Critical reception overview

The Union landed with a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 38% based on over 50 reviews, and a Metacritic score of 44/100. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes consensus paints it as a forgettable but not unwatchable entry in the spy-comedy genre. Review aggregator Metacritic notes that “the banter is uninspired and the characters lack memorable qualities,” though J.K. Simmons brings “a somewhat enjoyable cynical wit.”

Audience vs. critic scores

• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 45% (review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes)
• Critic-audience gap: only 7 points — less dramatic than many recent blockbusters
• The Guardian called it “harmless fun,” a phrase that sums up the film’s middle-ground appeal

The implication: The Union is a classic “background noise” movie — pleasant enough while it plays but unlikely to linger. It works best for casual movie night with no emotional investment required.

Why Didn’t Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry Kiss in The Union?

One of the most talked-about aspects of the film is what it doesn’t show: a single kiss between the two leads, despite their characters being ex-lovers rekindling a romance. The omission became a viral talking point after Variety reported that the pair never kiss in the entire 109-minute runtime.

Director’s explanation for no kiss scene

Director Julian Farino explained in interviews that a kiss felt “unearned” for these characters. According to Variety, Farino and the actors agreed that a romantic moment would not fit the story’s tone — the film prioritises action and banter over romance.

“The kiss felt unearned for these characters at this point in their journey.”

— Julian Farino, director, in Variety

On-screen chemistry without romance

• IMDb trivia confirms no kiss was scripted (IMDb)
• Wahlberg and Berry both agreed the omission served the story better (Variety)
• Some IMDb News coverage framed the missing kiss as a deliberate setup for a potential trilogy (IMDb News)

The trade-off: by avoiding a conventional romantic beat, the film keeps its focus on action — but risks alienating viewers who expect a payoff from the will-they-won’t-they dynamic.

Is The Union Movie Based on a True Story?

No — The Union is entirely fictional. Neither the plot nor the characters are drawn from real events or persons. The screenplay was written by Joe Barton and David Guggenheim (MUBI), and Netflix Tudum describes it as a “high-action thriller built around the reunion of a working-class construction worker and a former high-school sweetheart turned spy” — pure invention.

The catch: while the film isn’t based on fact, it borrows tropes from classic espionage fiction — think True Lies meets Knight and Day — which may give some viewers a mistaken sense of plausibility.

Where Was The Union 2024 Film Filmed?

The production team moved across three countries to give the story a genuine international flavour. According to Netflix Tudum, filming took place in New Jersey, New York, London, and Trieste, Italy. The choice of real city streets over studio sets was intended to add authenticity to the spy-thriller atmosphere.

Primary filming locations

New Jersey and New York stand for the blue-collar American roots of Wahlberg’s character; London and Trieste provide the European backdrop for the mission. Netflix Tudum emphasised that using real locations helped ground the film’s more far-fetched set pieces.

The pattern: The Union follows a common Netflix playbook — shoot on location in tier-two European cities (like Trieste) to achieve a fresh visual identity without the cost of Paris or Rome.

Were Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg Friends in Real Life?

Despite a decade of overlapping Hollywood circles, Wahlberg and Berry had never shared the screen before The Union. ScreenRant lists them as first-time co-stars. In promotional interviews, both actors spoke positively about the collaboration, but there is no public record of a prior friendship.

“Halle is incredible — she brings such energy and professionalism. We had a blast working together.”

— Mark Wahlberg in promotional interviews for The Union

What this means: their on-screen chemistry, which some critics found convincing, was built entirely during production, not from a pre-existing bond.

“A terrible action movie, but fun to watch this cheesy thing.”

— Viewer review on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes

“Harmless fun.”

— The Guardian review

Related reading: If you enjoyed this breakdown, check out our review of The Prisoner of Beauty: Worth Watching? and stay updated with Now You See Me 3 Release Date news.

For Netflix viewers deciding whether to press play, the verdict is clear: The Union is a disposable popcorn flick that works best when expectations are low. For casual viewers looking for mindless entertainment on a Sunday evening, the 109 minutes won’t feel wasted. For cinephiles seeking something fresh or emotionally resonant, the trade-off leaves too little to justify the runtime.

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