The Stream: An unoriginal plot feels uninspired and silly.

The Big Screen: Viola Davis lives out her action hero fantasy.

The Final Bill: It’s just passable for a movie to have on in the background.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Patricia Riggen
Writers: Caitlin Parrish, Erica Weiss, Logan Miller and Noah Miller
Stars: Viola Davis, Anthony Anderson, Ramón Rodríguez, Marsai Martin, Antony Starr
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rating: R for violence throughout
Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes
Production Companies: Amazon Studios, Big Indie Pictures, JuVee Productions, MRC Film, Mad Chance
Platform: On Prime Video April 10, 2025
Notable Trailers: Another Simple Favor, Deep Cover

Hey, Streamers! What’s a weekend without a random streaming movie to check out? I know sometimes I just want to have something on in the background and maybe it will catch my attention. Well, the new action thriller released on Prime Video, G20, may fill that void. In G20, President of the United States Danielle Sutton (Viola Davis) goes to South Africa, with her family in tow, for the G20 summit to present a plan of how to aid sub-Saharan farmers. During the summit of world leaders, a group of mercenaries seize control of the conference venue for their own nefarious reasons. President Sutton has to use her set of special skills to outsmart the terrorists and save her family and colleagues. Butt-kicking in a red dress hijinks ensue.

G20 borrows heavily from many other movies of the same ilk like Air Force One, Die Hard, White House Down and the Olympus Has Fallen series. The story is generic and unoriginal. The production looks cheap. While the action is decent, it really doesn’t amount to much that is clever, or entertaining. There are a few moments here and there that might generate some chuckles, but there aren’t very many. However, Viola Davis brings it as usual. She’s very believable as both a revered world leader and as an action hero. She’s showing off her guns throughout, and I, for one, would not want to mess with her. Davis has gravitas that lends a modicum of credibility to all that surround her even if the plot is generally ridiculous. The rest of the cast, unfortunately, does not rise to her level. They are fine and not embarrassing, but don’t we deserve more? Doesn’t Viola Davis deserve better? We will shoutout Anthony Anderson for trying his hardest to represent the first husbands out there. And, the two South African agents very pretty BA but they were barely in the movie… but maybe there will be a part two where they can reprise their roles.  Otherwise, this derivative action thriller is just “meh,” but at least Ms. Davis got to live out her action hero fantasy again. Check out The Woman King on Netflix.

Ultimately, G20 is a passable action thriller that is saved by a magnetic and convincing performance from Viola Davis. The rest of the movie around Davis is silly and not that great. The plot is unoriginal, and the production looks cheap. Since G20 is streaming on Prime Video, it may be worth a handful of popcorn – just to have playing in the background.