A new Netflix action movie with seriously divisive reviews tops the streamer's film chart

The Union (2024)
(Image credit: Netflix)

Critics might not have vibed much with Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg's new action comedy The Union, but Netflix subscribers seem to be loving it...

According to FlixPatrol, the movie has already topped the streamer's worldwide Top 10 chart, which isn't too shabby at all, considering it's only been available to watch for three days. Having debuted on the platform on August 16, it sees Wahlberg play down-to-earth construction worker Mike McKenna, whose regular life gets turned upside town when his high school sweetheart Roxanne Hall re-enters his life. 

The catch? Roxanne is now a secret agent, employed by a mysterious organization called 'The Union', and she needs Mike's help – and his unassuming identity – to carry out a high-stakes mission.

Jessica McGouw (Arrow), Mike Colter (Evil), Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen), and J.K. Simmons round out the supporting cast.

"Some modest globetrotting and the odd thrilling set-piece provide welcome spectacle," we said in our The Union review, as critic Matt Looker praised its leads' performances and chemistry. "It all threatens to be undone by a plodding middle act and a (very) predictable reveal, but the film just about succeeds in its mission."

Others were less magnanimous, with Movie Nation's Roger Moore calling it "generic" and "predictable to a laughable degree" and the Observer's Rex Reed saying: "This contrived, pointless, blindingly boring vehicle is a pathetic, desperate attempt to keep Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg's careers alive." It currently has a 43% Rotten Tomatoes score.

The Union is streaming now. Already tuned in? Check out our picks of the best Netflix movies for some viewing inspiration.

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

Read more
Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland in The Night Agent season 2
Despite a divisive Rotten Tomatoes score, one of Netflix's most watched shows of all time The Night Agent hits the #1 spot with second season
Megan Fox in Subservience
Netflix's new #1 movie is a sci-fi thriller that stars Megan Fox as an AI robot - and it has a pretty divisive Rotten Tomatoes score
Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio in Don't Look Up
This Netflix movie might have flopped with critics, but the director claims 500 million people watched it
Jesse Plemons and Robert De Niro in Zero Day
Robert De Niro's new Netflix series is being called everything from "addictive" to "dull" as it debuts to mixed reviews and a low Rotten Tomatoes score
Taron Egerton in Carry-On
Netflix's new number 1 movie may be a Christmas thriller, but it's still topping the streamer's charts after the holidays
Rebel Ridge
The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
Latest in Action Movies
Batman and Catwoman talking
Robert Pattinson is hoping to team up with his The Batman co-star Zoe Kravitz on another project soon
Keanu Reeves and Brzrkr
Justin Lin to helm Keanu Reeves' comic book movie adaptation BRZRKR for Netflix
Black Widow post-credits
Avengers Tower will have a new name in Thunderbolts, and the movie's director says it's "a symbol of things taking a darker turn"
Daniel Craig in new James Bond movie No Time to Die
Amazon boss reportedly said "I don’t care what it costs" to buy James Bond after they approached long-time producers with a Moneypenny spin-off
Keanu Reeves as John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4
A new action thriller from the John Wick team described as "a corporate thriller with a samurai twist" is finding its cast, and I've never been more seated
Claire Danes as Juliet and Miriam Margolyes as Nurse in the movie Romeo + Juliet.
The 33 greatest movies based on Shakespeare
Latest in News
Balatro
Balatro creator started "properly playing the game myself about a week before launch" and had "a pretty emotional moment" where he realized it's "actually fun"
Death Stranding 2 Collector's Edition
Hideo Kojima reveals Death Stranding 2: On the Beach release date, and the Collector's Edition includes exactly what I predicted it would
Kingmakers
Kingmakers is a strategy game about taking on medieval armies with a gun, but its devs thought the giant mech was too much
The Witcher 3 lead says "not many games" were trying to match the RPG back in 2015, and that meant "there was a risk" to making it in the first place
The Blood of Dawnwalker
The Witcher 3 dev says his new vampire RPG Blood of Dawnwalker wants to challenge genre conventions, but only if "we're changing them to actually achieve some goal"
Daredevil recap: The Defenders
Marvel fans are discussing which of the Netflix series characters would have survived the Blip