‘Union’ Delivers Action Comedy with High Rewatch Value

NEW YORK, Aug. 16 (UPI) — Mike Colter is taking a lighter turn in his new movie, The Union, moving away from the serious roles he’s known for in television series such as Evil, The Good Wife, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage.

“This kind of movie is right up my alley. It’s a movie that has an entertainment factor to it—big set pieces, great locations, great talented people—just a fun, fun flick,” Colter, 47, shared in a recent Zoom interview with UPI. “I always wanted to do some action comedy thing, and this has a pinch of romance in there.”

Premiering Friday on Netflix, the film follows Mike (played by Mark Wahlberg), a New Jersey construction worker whose high school sweetheart, Roxanne (Halle Berry), reappears suddenly to enlist him in a high-stakes international intelligence mission for the titular black ops organization.

“I think it’s something that has a great rewatch factor. I like being a part of things for silly reasons sometimes. Sometimes, you look at the character first and foremost, and you’re like, ‘Do I like the character? What can I do with this character?'” Colter pondered.

“After that, it’s like, ‘Oh, added bonus, this could be something you could watch more than once.’ Because sometimes when you’re involved in dramas, certain things are too heavy and people don’t watch them again. It’s like, ‘Oh, that was great, but I can’t do that to myself again.'”

In The Union, Colter plays Nick, Roxanne’s fellow spy and former lover.

“Nick is a slippery character,” Colter said. “Roxanne is someone he felt like he could build a life with and someone whom he felt like was really a perfect match for him. They’re working together, and they’re both in the Union,” he added.

“Then, here comes Mark’s character. Nick’s like, all of a sudden, ‘Oh, there’s a third wheel here.’ There’s someone else in the picture. There’s a great triangle effect.”

According to Colter, the film’s story and dialogue have a fast and breezy tempo. “The movie happens really quickly, and I love the pace of it,” Colter said.

“Before you know it, you’re in the third act and you’re like, ‘Oh, what’s going on?’ And then you’re just waiting to see what’s going to happen, how it’s going to end. It moves really quickly, and our characters play off each other really well.”

Colter expressed that working alongside Berry and Wahlberg was a great experience during their spy-game adventures in Italy and England.

“Halle was really welcoming and warm because our characters need to bond and need to have a history,” Colter said. “Mark was very kind and gracious. I think it’s always helpful when the leads that are anchoring your film invite you in and welcome you so you can sort of get past that awkward phase and get down to it.”

The actor also enjoyed the luxurious elements included in the film’s production.

“Cars, clothes, and catering. Those are the three Cs,” he joked. “If you can get those, you can get people and then cash. Cars, clothes, catering, cash. You get four Cs. Sorry about that. Coffee is five. That’s it. Five Cs. We got it perfect.”

Regarding his previous television roles, Colter said he is uncertain about the futures of his shows Evil and Luke Cage.

Evil is wrapping up its fourth and final season on Paramount+, while reruns remain popular on Netflix. Luke Cage is part of Netflix’s now-defunct Marvel franchise, which is partially being revived at Disney+ with Daredevil: Born Again.

“People always ask the actors about Cage. They ask about Evil. [Netflix co-CEO] Ted Sarandos, [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige—just call these guys,” Colter said. “Just hit them with a barrage of questions because I’m just here, I’m enjoying playing these roles, but those guys hold the keys.”