On paper, G20 looks like your White House Downs, your Olympus Has Fallens. The new Amazon Prime Video blockbuster centers on a plot targeting the American president at an international conference. There’s plenty of explosions, intrigue, and drama to go around. G20 should feel dated or derivative, but with Viola Davis at the helm, the film is a fresh take on the political-action popcorn flick.
Viola Davis plays President Danielle Sutton, a former military operative pushed into the political arena when a photo of her carrying a dying child in a war-torn country made international headlines. Now the head of the Free World, she struggles balancing her duties with parenting her twins Demetrius (Christopher Farrar) and rebellious Serena (Black-ish’s Marsai Martin).
After the latter sneaks out in the middle of the night and is caught drinking underage by the press, Sutton and her husband, Derek (Anthony Anderson, also on Black-ish) resolve to bring the children with them to South Africa for the G20 summit, an economic conference attended by the leaders of the world’s 20 richest countries.
Also in attendance is another former military operative, Ruttledge (The Boys’ Anthony Starr) keen on taking over the conference and using AI to fake a financial calamity. Like many action movies, why he or how he does it is vague and muddled, but you’re not watching G20 for that. You’re watching for Viola Davis’ impressive arms, witty one-liners and impressive kill shots. This has to be the campiest action film I’ve seen in a while. Director Patricia Riggen doesn’t try to over-inflate Caitlin Parrish and Erica Weiss’ script and it only serves the story to do so. It’s a film that knows what it is and doesn’t try to be more, which is rare these days.
Viola Davis is great in a role she’s hinted at but never really embodied until now. Many will remember her turn as Michelle Obama in the Showtime miniseries The First Lady. She gets to let loose here in a way we haven’t seen in most of her past work. Her chemistry with Anderson is palpable (from what we see of it) and the relationships between her and her children and staff are grounded and relatable. Ramón Rodriguez, Douglas Hodge, Elizabeth Marvel, and The White Lotus’ Sabrina Impacciatore play supporting roles that pay off.
G20 is a fun popcorn flick. If you can somehow see it in a theater, I would recommend it. However, even if you watch it at home, it is best to enjoy with a few others.
G20 is now playing on Prime Video. Watch the trailer below.
