Summary
- Halle Berry hopes to break her bad spy movie streak with Netflix's The Union, starring Mark Wahlberg in an action thriller.
- Berry's past spy movie misfires, Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Die Another Day, set a tough precedent for her new project.
- The Union has potential as a breakout hit with a standout cast and rookie action director.
Halle Berry has the chance to redeem her poor film streak in one genre she can't seem to get the better of with an upcoming Netflix movie set to release this summer. For the past decade, Berry's general film catalog has struggled with mixed or average receptions, filled with movie roles in lackluster titles, including Roland Emmerich's disappointing sci-fi Moonfall, the melodramatic sports drama Bruised, and 2017's love-it-or-hate-it crime thriller, Kidnap. Fortunately, Berry also featured in some incredible saving graces that reminded audiences of what the Monster's Ball and X-Men film franchise actress is capable of in a great movie.
By taking part in the respective smash hit titles, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and X-Men: Days of Future Past, Berry successfully disrupted what would have been ten years' worth of movies that just missed the mark with critics and audiences. That said, Berry hasn't been as lucky with spy films, which have fostered a poor streak in the actress' film catalog for upwards of two decades. There's hope Berry's new Netflix movie could break her spy film spell, though if it's anything like her last two movie misfires, it could worsen the stain on the otherwise talented actress' career.
Halle Berry's 10 Best Movies, Ranked
Halle Berry has starred in dozens of films and television shows, becoming a pivotal character in the X-Men franchise and winning numerous awards.
Netflix's The Union Could Be Halle Berry's Third Spy Movie Misfire
Kingsman: The Golden Circle And Die Another Day Were Berry's Previous Spy Movie Flops
Berry is to star in Netflix's upcoming action thriller The Union alongside habitual action star Mark Wahlberg. Berry will play leading lady Roxanne, who invites her former high school flame-turned-working-class construction worker Mike (Wahlberg) into the world of super spies and secret agents by recruiting him for a dangerous intelligence mission. At face value, The Union's standard fish-out-of-water spy movie premise sounds familiar enough that it may not make much of an impression on viewers and very well could falter like Berry's last two spy movies, 2017's Kingsman: The Golden Circle and 2002's Die Another Day.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critics/Audience Score |
Metacritic Metascore |
IMDb Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kingsman: The Golden Circle |
51% / 64% |
44 |
6.7/10 |
|
Die Another Day |
55% / 41% |
56 |
6.1/10 |
Overall, viewers could not come to terms with either film, setting a precedent that wasn't necessarily Berry's fault but one her new spy movie needs to overcome.
Surprisingly, being part of major franchises and casting mega-movie stars like Berry couldn't save Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Die Another Day from being big misfires with critics and viewers. Compared to their predecessors, neither Kingsman: The Golden Circle, which sequels the widely beloved Kingsman: The Secret Service, nor Die Another Day, with 19 iconic films in the James Bond series before it, had the script, wit, or plot to match. Overall, viewers could not come to terms with either film, setting a precedent that wasn't necessarily Berry's fault but one her new spy movie needs to overcome.
The Union is set to premiere on Netflix on August 16.
Why The Union Might Actually End Halle Berry's Bad Spy Movie Streak
The Union Could Become A Breakout Hit
While The Union will have a big-name cast, including Berry, Wahlberg, J.K. Simmons, Mike Colter, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje to its advantage, Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Die Another Day have since proven that an all-star cast doesn't necessarily equate to a great movie. However, aside from its notable cast of characters, The Union has a few legs above Berry's last two spy movies in ways that should be big topics of consideration. For one, The Union is not attached to a mega film franchise and won't have the pressure nor expectation to live up to previous titles.
The Union will have the leeway to be judged as a standalone movie without the hindrances of comparison or the legacy of an enduring franchise. Additionally, The Union has the novelty of director Julian Farino, who hasn't helmed many feature films, going for it. While Farino is newer to the world of action feature films, his fresh perspective, coupled with the movie having certifiable stars in its leading roles, could set The Union up to be a breakout movie hit on Netflix that finally sets Halle Berry's spy movie streak right.
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Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the second film in the Kingman franchise, is based on the comic book series of the same name by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. Kingsman: The Golden Circle continues the story of Eggsy (Taron Egerton), now codenamed Galahad. When a mysterious cartel known as the Golden Circle threatens international security, Eggsy must travel to America to request the help of the Statesman agency. The Golden Circle sees Egerton, Mark Strong, and Colin Firth reprise their roles from the previous film, and also introduces Julianne Moore, Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal, Halle Berry, and Jeff Bridges to the franchise in supporting roles.
- Director
- Matthew Vaughn
- Release Date
- September 22, 2017
- Writers
- Matthew Vaughn , Jane Goldman
- Cast
- Jeff Bridges , Colin Firth , Channing Tatum , Halle Berry , Pedro Pascal , Mark Strong , Julianne Moore , Taron Egerton
- Runtime
- 2h 21m
-
Die Another Day
- Director
- Lee Tamahori
- Release Date
- November 17, 2002
- Writers
- Ian Fleming , Neal Purvis , Robert Wade
- Cast
- Pierce Brosnan , Halle Berry , Toby Stephens , Rosamund Pike , Rick Yune , judi dench
- Runtime
- 133 minutes
