The Union (2024) ‘Netflix’ Movie Ending Explained: Does the Union Recover the Intel from Nick? 

“The Union” (2024) is a new spy action comedy thriller streaming on Netflix. Starring Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg in the lead roles, it follows a construction worker from New Jersey who gets roped into the world of secret agents by his high school sweetheart. It is directed by Julian Farino, who is well known for his work on the HBO series “Entourage.” Besides Berry and Wahlberg, the film stars J. K. Simmons, Mike Colter, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alice Lee, Jackie Earle Haley, Jessica De Gouw, Lorraine Bracco, Dana Delany, and Stephan Campbell Moore.

Spoilers ahead

The Union (2024) ‘Netflix’ Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:

“The Union,” starring Halle Barry and Mark Wahlberg, follows a blue-collar worker who suddenly finds himself in the middle of a high-stakes espionage mission as he reunites with his high-school sweetheart.  

What happens in ‘The Union’?

“The Union” begins with an extraction mission that gets out of control. Roxanne Hall (Halle Berry), who works on this mission, needs to find an alternative for the man they lost. She thinks of Mike McKenna (Mark Wahlberg), her high school sweetheart, who never left their town. Back in her hometown, we see Mike getting out of bed with his past school teacher. While walking out of her house, he meets her son, who is now a bank’s branch manager. Unlike him, Mike isn’t doing too well. He is a construction worker and hasn’t risen the ladder yet.  

Mark is focused on the small joys of his small-town life. After work, he gets drinks with the same group of friends he has had for years. Then, by the end of the night, he suddenly bumps into Roxanne after decades and gets pleasantly surprised. He assumes that she wants to rekindle their past flame. She leads him to believe it even more. Once they walk out of the bar, she injects him with a tranquilizer. Then, her colleagues pack his body and take him to the UK to join their organization – The Union.  

Why does Roxanne want Mark to be a part of ‘The Union’? 

Roxanne works at the Union, which operates under the radar of other secret agencies. She reveals an incident from two nights ago when a mission to intercept a CIA turncoat failed in Trieste, Italy. Her boss, Tom Brennan (J.K.Simmons), wants a street-smart person to be a part of their operations. That’s why Roxanne suggested Mike as a replacement. Mike is a blue-collar worker who is ready for any physical challenges to prove himself worthy so that he can leave behind his stagnant life. So, Roxanne thinks he will be hungry for this opportunity. Later, she takes Mike to their headquarters and reveals their new mission: to fight against Juliet Quinn (Jessica De Gouw), AKA the Auctioneer. 

Roxanne recently learned that Juliet is selling the Union’s intel on the black market in London on behalf of a mystery seller, AKA the guy who botched their mission in Italy for the intel. To help the Union with this operation, Mike undergoes a series of tests to prove his mental and physical capabilities. Initially, Mike was not on board with it. But after a conversation with his mother, Lorraine (Lorraine Bracco), he agrees to be a part of it. He proves that he can be trusted by the Union operatives. Eventually, during the operation, Mike bumps into a stranger and assumes he is part of their mission. This stranger takes Mike to a location that messes up his communication signal with the Union. 

Does Mike help the Union with their mission?

After being misdirected, Mike receives a call that tells him to hand over some assets to a man in a pub. Mike walks out to find himself in the middle of a gunfight. He runs away from a group of assailants chasing and trying to kill him. Luckily, Roxanne intervenes at the right moment and rescues him. Based on the evidence, Tom suspects the Russians are trying to kill their rivals by outbidding them. Foreman (Jackie Earle Haley) suspects someone is leaking the information from the Union. Together, they hope to solve the issue before the auction takes place in the following 48 hours.  

Later, the Union realizes that the assailants who attacked them are in a vacant mansion in Hampstead. At night, they infiltrate the place to find a device. However, their colleague, Athena (Alice Lee), gets killed in the process. Right after, a bomb blows up in their HQ. Roxanne realizes that they were tricked into this operation. While they assess the effect of this damage, she takes Mike to her safe room. The next day, they plan to get the intel from the upcoming auction with the help of Cameron Foster (Stephen Campbell Moore) from the CIA. 

The Union (2024) ‘Netflix’ Movie Ending Explained:

While Tom, Foreman, and Cameron operate from their secret base, Roxanne and Mike head out to find the Auctioneer, Juliet. They find her at a bar and bring her back to her house. There, Roxanne meets her ex-husband, Nick Faraday (Mike Colter), who was considered dead in their operation in Trieste. He reveals that the attack in Trieste was a setup. Nick claims Tom set them up for it for his personal goals. He suggests Roxanne give the intel to Cameron instead of Tom. Before leaving, he sets up a next-day meeting with her. Mike gets upset at Roxanne for hiding the fact that she was married. So, he threatens to leave the Union. 

Does the Union recover the intel from Nick?

Despite their differences, Mike arrives at the bridge to help Roxanne in their mission. Soon after, Roxanne realizes that Nick has set up this meeting to cover up his escape. Nick calls her to reveal that he was involved in the attacks on Trieste and, later, on Athena’s life. Moments later, Cameron and his CIA agents arrive on the bridge. But Roxanne and Mike manage to escape. Since the CIA is on the lookout for the Union operatives, Mike seeks the help of his friend Bobby to escape with Roxanne without getting traced. The duo locates Nick and Juliet’s meeting with other clients, and Roxanne interrupts them. 

At the last minute, Juliet bails on Nick and parts ways. Nick manages to escape the scene. Then, after a brutal fight with Nick’s cronies, Roxanne & Mike recover the intel. Soon after, the duo crosses paths with Nick, who gets hold of the intel. Nick’s clients kidnap Mike in their car. Mike beats the client and steals his car. Then, he follows Nick as Roxanne follows him. Eventually, they reunite and follow Nick. In the end, Roxanne shoots Nick dead. She recovers the intel and returns with Mike. Later, she joins Mike for their school friend’s wedding. Mike decides to join her in future missions for the Union.  

The Final Word

“The Union” is a surprisingly hilarious entry into the buddy-comedy thriller genre. Of course, the film takes conventional routes to follow its espionage plotline and has nothing new to offer. However, it has moments of humor that work far more than a lot of similar affairs released in the recent past. Berry & Wahlberg make up for a dynamic duo because they understand action and comedic timing. They have a great rapport with each other, as well as with Simmons, which makes up for a superior Netflix comedy thriller that does just what it sets out to do. 

Read More: The Union (2024) Movie Review: A Decent Yet Bland and Forgettable Netflix Original Action Movie

The Union (2024) ‘Netflix’ Movie Trailer:

The Union (2024) ‘Netflix’ Movie Links: IMDb, Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes
The Union (2024) ‘Netflix’ Movie Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Halle Berry, J. K. Simmons, Mike Colter, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alice Lee, Jackie Earle Haley, Jessica De Gouw
The Union (2024) Movie Runtime: 1h 46m, Genre: Action/Mystery & Thriller

Where to watch The Union