G20
Starring: Viola Davis, Antony Starr, Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Christopher Farrar Ramón Rodrídguez, Douglas Hodge, Elizabeth Marvel, Sabrina Impacciatorre, MeeWha Alana Lee, John Hoogenakker, and Clark Gregg
Director: Patricia Riggen
NICK
There are a lot of films like G20. Some are better than this one, and some are worse; what the rest of them are missing is Viola Davis. One of the top actors working today, Davis is able to make the most of what she has to work with to keep you invested. Not to be outdone, Antony Starr also elevates the material as he steps out of Homelander's suit to supply a different kind of villain. Without these two, you'd have an unoriginal and forgettable film that gets too silly for its own good. With these two, you get a serviceable, yet average, picture.
AMARÚ
From a Black-ish reunion (Anthony Anderson and Marsai Martin) to the realization that Will Trent (Ramón Rodriguez) really talks like that, I was so into the cast of G20 early on that I forgave a lot of the heavy-handed ridiculousness later. The relationships they fostered with Viola Davis made me care about their well-being when shit hits the fan. So, as silly, convoluted, and outright laughable as the story and dialogue gets, I felt tense and excited when the action and thrills came through. Sharks are jumped, laughs are had, and ultimately, a good time ensues watching this perfect streaming time-killer.
ROBERT
When you need the POTUS to kick ass in an original venue, you consider an economic conference rarely thought of by the general public, and so, G20 is born. Watching this, I could see how badly it wanted to be Die Hard (Antony Starr even has a henchman named Karl!). However, it's like a hybrid of the 2013 classics Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down, but not the optimal version. Starr and Viola Davis drive the movie, but beyond being happy to see some people supporting them, I felt nothing, much like the AI deepfakes used as the plot devices.
QUENTIN
You’ve likely seen the bones of this movie dozens of times; the only thing that changes is the setting. A skyscraper (Die Hard), a submarine (Under Siege), The White House (Olympus Has Fallen), and now, the G20 Summit – they’re all essentially the same movie. While that’s all fine and dandy, G20 is what it is, beholden to typical genre beats. It feels beneath Viola Davis, but I can’t fault her for wanting to leave behind prestige movies to have fun kicking a little ass for a change. Other than that, everything here is serviceable for a mid-budget, straight-to-streaming release that feels like something from the 90s.
