G20
review by Bobby Blakey
Viola Davis is one of those actors that has proven that she can do anything. Her turn into the action genre in her film The Woman King showcased a new side to her and now she is diving back into the action genre with her latest film G20. The film co-stars Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Ramón Rodríguez, Douglas Hodge, Elizabeth Marvel, Sabrina Impacciatore, Christopher Farrar and Antony Starr from The 33 and Dopesick director Patricia Riggen, but does it manage to deliver the action that’s promised or is it a summit not worth climbing?
G20 follows U.S. President Danielle Sutton who becomes the number one target when the G20 summit comes under siege. After evading capture by the attackers, she must outsmart the enemy to protect her family, defend her country and safeguard world leaders in this action-packed thrill ride.
After seeing the first trailer I had very low expectations for this film as it looked like it could be a good time, but also kind of silly and that is exactly what it is. The film is a mash-up of Olympus Has Fallen and Die Hard with all the flairs of the 80s and 90s action. The story is simple and pretty much like we have seen a thousand times over but works for what they are trying to do. They do a decent job setting everything up that we need to buy into her action chops in a way that you can believe for the most part.
There is a tone of foreshadowing with various characters that you can see a mile away of how it will circle back into the final act somehow but still offers up enough to be a fun time. A lot of the film’s success sits in the hands of the cast who are all doing good with the material they are working with. This is a generic story and execution, but elevated by this cast who all seem to be going all in.
Once things get past the fairly long set up it kicks into high gear with plenty of
action offering up shoot outs and fight sequences. They are all well executed and while some might not buy into a woman fighting off bigger men, they crafted them in a way that works. She isn’t unstoppable by any means and gets her butt kicked often with her making it through with help and creative survival at every turn. There is some heft to the background of her character that gives it some depth, but never tries to take itself to seriously.
This is far from a great flick and as mentioned one we have seen a billion times, but on streaming it is a worthwhile action flick to entertain. Decide for yourself and check out G20 streaming now on Prime Video.