Viola Davis, it would seem, always appears ready to surprise; with a career spanning nearly three decades and armed to the hilt with accolades, this uber-talent isn’t shy when it comes to balancing small-scale drama (“The Help,” “Fences,” “Air”) with big budget storytelling, best seen in her ongoing involvement with James Gunn’s DCU as the recurring Amanda Waller and learning that this motion picture chameleon is set to headline a straightforward action film in the vein of any legendary ’80s or ’90s classic? Makes perfect sense.
Directed by Patricia Riggen (“The 33”), “G20” is that film, one that sees US President Danielle Sutton (Davis) heading off to Cape Town for the annual G20 summit with her family in tow; what better place would there be than a gathering of world leaders representing a vast network of countries for former Special Forces agent Edward Rutledge (Antony Starr) to seize control of the event, taking over security and hostages as if consulting from the Bad Guy Playbook he’s secretly been consulting? Soon enough, the family, which includes husband Derek (Anthony Anderson), rebellious tech whiz Serena (Marsai Martin), and son Demetrius (Christopher Farrar), will inevitably become separated amidst the chaos, with Danielle sequestered alongside several foreign dignitaries as they attempt to come to some agreement as to their plan.
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Rutledge’s plan, meanwhile, sees the villain less focused on monetary gain. Still, he’s just as quick to label himself and his team as anything but run-of-the-mill terrorists, with their goal being the adoption of crypto as the de facto form of world currency in opposition to what he sees as worldwide governmental corruption. Though Sutton has help on the outside from Vice President Mosely (Clark Gregg), the possibility of this entire ordeal being the result of an inside job can’t be ignored, but what no one counted on was the Commander-in-chief, armed with military experience and ongoing hand-to-hand combat training, exacting her own form of resistance as she does what she can to reunite her family, rescue those held hostage and save the proverbial day. Regarding Sutton, it would seem that old habits die hard…yes, we knew that comparison was on the way.
From an early scene in which Anderson pokes fun at his wife’s choice of footwear, the near-endless comparisons to the exploits of John McClane become difficult to disregard, with further nods in the direction of any entry in the “Has Fallen” franchise or, perhaps most notably, “Air Force One,” joining the fracas before long. Placing Davis’s Sutton alongside Harrison Ford’s President James Marshall could be seen as acceptable. Still, as the near-two hour runtime of “G20” plods along, broken up by the occasional skirmish or the shaky choreography of a fight or two, Davis’ overall commitment to Sutton begins to drift from the dedication she’s devoted to much of her vast filmography into the realm of barely phoning it in.
Anthony Anderson, meanwhile, spews line delivery as if to suggest it’s the first time he’s performed such an act. However, Antony Starr appears to enjoy any moment the camera focuses on “The Boys” veteran, with a cockney accent and menacing glare that somehow works as much as it oozes cliché. It’s Rutledge who, at one point, spearheads a plan to utilize AI technology to spread disinformation worldwide; these scenes, somehow, exist as one of the more effective moments of the entire film, as unsettling as any episode of “Black Mirror.” That said, make no mistake, nothing is surprising in the film’s sequence of events, nor any over-the-top lines of dialogue signature of any movie of this particular ilk, unless one were to count the nod to “Black Panther,” even as the moment lands with all the impact of a dull thud. Fortunately, for those fans of “Under Siege 2,” you’ll likely enjoy the ending. It’s pretty similar.
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Sadly, even for the biggest supporter of everything action has had to offer genre-lovers for decades, “G20” remains hard to recommend, as much as it hits those recognizable beats and with its Oscar winner attempting to lead the charge towards the end credits. It’s not even that there’s much to satisfy this particular fanbase; there’s not much here, at all. [C-]
“G20” is available now on Prime Video.
