The action spectacle “G20” offers an absurd fantasy. What if the US president was a hero of gunfighting and martial arts? “Air Force One” (1997) may be the UR text for this shameless Jingoistic Subgenre, but Viola Davis President Danielle Sutton raises the bar with extremely braveness.
Either way, scripts aim for relevance. Most of the story takes place at Cape Town's digitally enhanced Hillside Hotel. There, President Sutton and her family (her doting husband, Derek (Anthony Anderson), teenage daughter, Serena (Marsai Martin), and son Demetrius (Christopher Farrer) arrive for a group of 20 economies.
Chaos continues when Rutledge (Antony Starr), a jacked crypto terrorist from Australia, breaks into a hotel with military-trained buse group with extremist right-wing views. Rutledge and his crew force them to take most of the participating world leaders hostage and record videos of themselves that they use to create deepfakes to plunge into the global stock market. This master plan depends on discrediting Sutton. But as a female politician, she is used to scrutiny.
The Patricia Liggen film clicks when Sutton and her top bodyguard Manny (Ramon Rodriguez) avoid the capture, navigates the hotel complex in search of an escape vehicle, knocking out Rutledge's minions with cramped sets (e.g. elevators and kitchens). The additional twists and cute cartoon touches of the plot are thanks to the aged Korean first lady (Meewha Alana Lee), Prime Minister Chauvinistic British (Douglas Hodge), and top Italian representatives in high heels (Sabrina Impacciatore, who quickly acquired a glorious hotel manager in the White Lot moments). This group latches to Sutton for protection, but elsewhere Derek, Demetrius and Serena play their own cat and mouse game.
Davis is best known for her dramatic Oscar-winning roles for films like “Fence,” but she has also become a terrifying action star (think “The Widow” and “The Female Queen”). She has managed to enhance this generic action film with the pure power of her existence. The choppy editing style and inactive cinematography do not exactly bring justice to her battle scenes, so Davis conveys her ferociousness so easily, even as she stands still and holds her weapon. But the irritating passion she brings to Sutton's monologue is not enough to relieve the nasty tensions of the film's integrity and harsh and outrageous, like a tearful confession about Sutton's military history and the Time magazine cover photo that began her political career. In this fateful image we see her jumping out of a fiery building holding her child in her arms, but the inexpensive, much-changing appearance of it plays it for laughs.
Strength aside, “G20” works well as a stupid action film. I certainly have involved the whole thing and made it easier to surround the extra contradictions of plot and mandatory supermom. The film was completed well before the current administration took office, but itchy about the need to unravel the reality of last year's election from the presumable black women's ideas as president. For that credit, you forget these connections along the way – to suspend such mistrust, some serious distractions are required.
G20
R was rated in multiple killings, armed combat and violent hostage situations. Running time: 1 hour 48 minutes. Watch Prime Video.
