G20 review (2025) – Viola Davis is a blast as pistol packing president

G20 gives Viola Davis the chance to be a protect the president kick-tail action hero with the big twist that she’s also playing the president. From the not-at-all shocking department, Davis makes for a pretty engaging action hero. And convincing president. The Oscar winner is running out of roles where there’s any doubt if she couldn’t deliver at least a nominee-worthy performance.

G20 isn’t about gunning for Oscar glory. This is just a standard action film with some questionable character decision making and fun shoot out segments that gets boosted simply from Davis’ (Air) presence.

Davis plays President Danielle Sutton, the war hero who traded in her fatigues for the top spot at the White House. Danielle is prepping for the G20 summit in Cape Town where world leaders will unite to discuss an initiative to reduce world hunger.

There are a mix of world leaders on hand, some not as keen on signing off on Danielle’s proposal. Her toughest opposition on reaching an agreement include Prime Minister Oliver Everett (Douglas Hodge, Joker) and Italian representative Elena Romano (Sabrina Impacciatore). At least Danielle has her close Secret Service agent Manny (Ramon Rodriguez) and Treasury Secretary Joanna (Elizabeth Marvel) on hand to help deal with the wolves.

For further moral support, Danielle’s husband, Derek (Anthony Anderson) is by her side. Tagging along are their children, Demetrius (Christopher Farrar) and Serena (Marsai Martin). Serena’s inexplicable ease at getting by her Secret Service security detail to go drinking at a Georgetown bar is the main reason the children had to accompany their parents on the trip.

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The script by Caitlin Parrish, Erica Weiss and Logan Miller, largely sticks within the framework of the presidential action films like White House Down or Olympus Has Fallen.

A terrorist group led by Rutledge (The Boys’ Antony Starr) commandeers the summit and takes the world leaders hostage. Or at least most of them. In a well-staged opening attack, Rutledge’s men round up everyone except for Danielle (and Manny), Oliver, Elena and a South Korean rep, Han Min-Seo (MeeWha Alana Lee). Derek and the children also manage to escape getting captured.

With danger potentially lurking around every corner, Danielle and Manny have to figure out a way to take Rutledge and his crew down while keeping the world leaders safe. All before Rutledge finishes carrying out his get mega rich quick scheme while disrupting the world’s economy. The sinister means of weaponizing AI technology is pretty clever in G20 and at times is a more effective menace than Rutledge’s crew.

Davis easily shifts from being a powerful, commanding world leader to a completely credible action hero running around in a ripped gown and tennis shoes. Director Patricia Riggen (The 33) wisely avoids putting Danielle in situations that are wholly unbelievable like pitting her against multiple 7′ tall muscle-bound bad guys at once.

Davis doesn’t look like a frail incapable action hero and looks the part while trading blows with the bruising bad guys. Another savvy decision was giving Danielle a vet background and an earlier sequence showing her continuing to hone her martial arts skills. That quickly puts to rest any questions about how Danielle could handle herself.

G20 screenwriters do struggle far more with Serena, who plays the cliche bratty teenager with a knack for getting her mother into tough predicaments. On one hand, showing that even the president has to deal with an annoying teen helps make Danielle more relatable, it felt like a distraction from the simpler plot of Danielle killing off bad guys. Even when Serena starts to come around and wants to help Danielle, she still remains a liability.

Another frustrating aspect of the film is the prolonged fight scenes that play out too long simply because Danielle lacks a necessary killer instinct. There are no style points in G20 so it’s odd when Danielle just won’t go for the quick head shot and put a killer down for good instead of battling him for another five to 10 minutes.

The biggest issue is how G20 paints the press as clueless abettors to the chaos Rutledge and his crew are hoping to spread. They’re a little too eager to spread obvious misinformation and contribute to a worldwide panic.

Starr makes for a decent nut job bad guy though his generic zealot isn’t nearly as enthralling as his unhinged Homelander character in The Boys. Rodriguez shines in the spotlight as Danielle’s right-hand man while Hodge, Impacciatore and Lee make for a likable crew.

G20 has its share of bizarre plot holes and outright weird character choices, some of which seem solely driven to set up the next scene. This isn’t a ponder every scene’s logic kind of action movie and with a lesser lead it could have been underwhelming, but Davis pulls it through its rough moments to make for a fun weekend watch.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Photo Credit: Amazon

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