Everything In Political Thriller G20 Is On Autopilot Except Its Star

It’s tempting to assume that movie stars sign up to do formulaic streaming-service flicks because they’re attached to a hefty paycheck. That must be a major factor, but sometimes there’s something more going on. From a certain perspective, these junky, disposable action films are almost like a fantasy camp—a way for a respected big-name actress to headline the sort of project traditional Hollywood studios rarely allow her to pursue. If you’ve won an Oscar and made your name as one of the best of your generation, what’s the harm in having a little dumb fun while getting paid for it?

Who can say if such logic explains why Viola Davis appears in Amazon MGM Studios’ G20, a Die Hard-ian action-thriller that will be playing exclusively on Prime Video. Granted, the woman who took home the Best Supporting Actress prize for Fences is a producer on this easily resistible piece of anonymous content, and she’s hardly new to this genre. But where her previous action outings—namely, Widows and The Woman King—were far more distinguished, G20 aims for the predictable from the outset and never surprises after that. At least the movie tries to have a bit of a sense of humor about itself along the way.

Directed by Patricia Riggen, who previously helmed the Chilean-mining-disaster film The 33, G20 lays out its characters and premise smoothly enough. Davis is Danielle, the American president who won election by being a war hero in Iraq, even though that doesn’t make it any easier to be Mom at home in the Oval Office, where she’s raising a rebellious teenage daughter, Serena (Marsai Martin), and precocious son Demetrius (Christopher Farrar). After Serena goes viral for partying underage at a bar, Danielle decides she needs to keep a closer eye on her kids, bringing them and supportive husband Derek (Anthony Anderson) with her on a trip to the all-important G20 summit in Cape Town, South Africa.

Torn between family and duty, Danielle hopes this annual meeting of the planet’s wealthiest nations can lead to productive change, not just empty promises. But her optimism is quickly dashed once a terrorist organization led by Rutledge (Antony Starr) invades the summit, part of his not-particularly-interesting plan to short global currencies so that his investments in cryptocurrency will spike. Most everyone is taken hostage or killed, but Danielle escapes along with her personal Secret Service agent, Manny (Ramón Rodríguez), and a couple other world dignitaries. Running around this lavish hotel with Rutledge’s men in close pursuit, Danielle will have to draw from her military training in order to rescue her family and save the day.

G20 is the sort of autopilot streaming movie whose big twist you can comfortably guess within about 10 minutes. The reliable flimsiness of these algorithm-driven flicks can be a balm for audiences who demand something undemanding—a reasonable facsimile of the type of film they enjoy. But without ever stooping to self-parody, G20 does occasionally attempt to goof on its own clichés. One of Danielle’s fellow escapees, the wimpy, whiny British prime minister (Douglas Hodge), serves as convenient comic relief, alongside Sabrina Impacciatore’s no-nonsense head of the International Monetary Fund, who quickly has her full of this drip. This oddball collection of world leaders with their mismatched personalities is never particularly funny, but that doesn’t stop Riggen from trying her best to juice the stale proceedings with quips and bemused reaction shots.

At the same time, Davis wants us to invest in her character’s emotional plight. As much as the president fears that her daughter hates her, deep down we know they love one another—and that Danielle’s quest to protect her children will double as confirmation that she is, in fact, a good mother. But the stabs at being heartfelt are as colorless as the script’s scraps of societal commentary. Vague observations about sexism and racism in American politics are brought up as rote talking points, and the fear of a post-truth world in which deep-fake technology can destroy global stability is utilized in the least compelling way imaginable.

But if G20 barely registers as original, its star remains commanding. Even when Davis dutifully goes through the motions as stern government official Amanda Waller in the recent DC films, she seems incapable of phoning in a role or winking to the audience. Davis exudes authenticity—a ferocious toughness without ever seeming superhuman—and in G20 she’s the only real thing in a movie that’s hopelessly phony. From its cheap special effects to its cardboard villain, the film is thoroughly cut-rate, except for Davis, who shoots, punches, snarls, and emotes with the grandeur and cool you’d expect from a fictional American president.

The film is stocked with television actors you probably enjoy more in their other work. Rodríguez’s cutie-pie handsomeness has made him beloved on Will Trent, and he pops here as well playing a Secret Service agent who might be the one person who can be direct with Danielle. The two actors have such a warm, tender rapport that you may be forgiven for wondering why the president doesn’t dump her nice-guy lump of a husband for this hunk. Starr, best known now from his Prime Video’s The Boys, has exactly the same maniac-madman schtick as every other movie terrorist. (Naturally, Rutledge insists he’s not a terrorist but, rather, a tragic product of the greed and callousness of the world’s most powerful countries. Even G20’s “subversive” political commentary comes from other, better films.)

Is there value in trash like G20? Everyone involved gets to play pretend, acting as if they’re in a real action blockbuster rather than this limp simulation—although if you’re hungry to see Davis in this vein, Widows and The Woman King are there waiting for you. Rest assured, Danielle will save the world, but more importantly, Davis escapes with her dignity intact. Even in product this threadbare, she knows how to hold our attention, practically willing G20 to rise to her level. Davis may be a miracle worker, but even she can’t pull off that feat.

Director: Patricia Riggen
Writers: Caitlin Parrish & Erica Weiss and Logan Miller & Noah Miller
Starring: Viola Davis, Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Ramón Rodríguez, Douglas Hodge, Elizabeth Marvel, Sabrina Impacciatore, Christopher Farrar, Antony Starr
Release Date: April 10, 2025 (on Prime Video)

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