The 2024 action movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry is gathering praise online for its humour and cast chemistry

Netflix’s newest number one film is the definition of your trusty, action-packed secret agent film that you vow to stop watching but get drawn back to again and again.

It feels like every day there is something new to watch on the streamer, and if we are really honest, not a lot of it is that great.

This latest release, however, has people talking about the overall entertaining watch – especially if you are into action comedies.

This guilty pleasure is partly made so captivating due to the irresistible chemistry of Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry, with the film being called The Union.

Mike McKenna (Wahlberg), is a down to earth blue-collar worker from New jersey whose character arc into a ruthless combatant is hard to dislike.

On the flip side, Roxanne Hall (played by Berry) is the bad*ss, secret agent part of the Elite group ‘The Union’.

The story follows the two as the former high school sweethearts as their lives intertwine again after years of no contact, only this time with Roxanne recruiting Mike on a high stakes mission, forcing him to quickly adapt to the ultra-violent and intense world of secret agents.

This admittedly ‘cliché’ but reliable action-heavy plot, has some surprising themes: like the unassuming, working-class assassins behind the scenes in this world of spies that make it popular with viewers.

Berry and Wahlberg star in the film. (Netflix)

After a post in the Facebook group Netflix Bangers, one commenter said: “It is great, I watched it and I loved it”.

Another said they ‘loved it’ and were ‘sure’ it would get a sequel, whilst a third said: “It is Great, I watched it today and loved it.”

On Rotten Tomatoes one viewer commented: “The casting is phenomenal,” capturing the driving force of the movie being the dynamic relationship between Wahlberg and Berry.

The production of the movie cannot be forgotten as well, with one viewer saying: “Great location scenes, great direction and well-done exhilarating car chases.”

Kevin Maher of The Times said of the film: “This is not the kind of movie you talk about at film club. Nonetheless there is lots to enjoy in this profoundly silly action dramedy starring Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg.”

The pair share great chemistry in the film according to some viewers. (Netflix)

Not everyone on Facebook was as impressed, however, with some commenting that the movie was a ‘waste of time’ and was ‘average’.

Despite this, the reaction online was predominantly positive, though the movie did garner some poor ratings, with only a 39 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 5.5/10 on IMDb.

In an interview, Mark Wahlberg sums up his excitement for playing the role: “We already had the idea of how cool it would be to play a blue-collar James Bond.” He went on to say: “It was really an original idea that we then pitched to Netflix and they wanted to make the film.”