In bed past midnight, American President Danielle Sutton laments to her husband, Derek, her complicated relationship with their teenage daughter; her semblance is covered with sadness and shame. Days later, President Sutton is burning the face of a terrorist in a kitchen cooker to help release hostages. In both scenes of the action movie ‘G20’ (2025), Viola Davis shows part of her range that led her to be considered among the top-tier elite of the acting class.
Prime Video’s ‘G20’ is a competent action-thriller. Some critics point out that it has genre troupes, and the CGI could’ve been improved in some minor scenes. Nevertheless, it is a action-movie that works due to competent direction by indie veteran Patricia Riggen, the precise cinematography during the well-choreographed action scenes, and the capable cast led by Davis, who is opposed by Anthony Starr (The Boys) as the actor plays the leader of the antagonists with gusto and an Australian accent.
One of the aspects that makes Viola Davis an acting virtuoso is her engagement with the role. In a way that the Academy adores, Davis isn’t shy to go through a physical transformation to get into the character, as their bodies are part of their personality and expression, as the actress did in ‘The Woman King’ (2022). In ‘G20,’ Davis again shows a powerful and realistic physique as she achieved it through a transformation under the skilled coaching of personal trainer and nutritionist Gabriela Mclain. Davis is 59 years old, and this shows that with adequate training and diet, she can bring this side of President Sutton, a US Army veteran, and make it believable in an action picture that suspends reality. There is no problem with the outlandish scenes because it isn’t a documentary.
The picture also gives room for the supporting cast to shine; the family is composed of the reliable Anthony Anderson, playing husband Derek, with the children: the trustworthy Demetrius (Christopher Farrar) and the computer-savvy Serena (Marsai Martin); the latter has a relationship infused with attrition with President Sutton. The family and its extended member, Presidential bodyguard Agent Manny Ruiz (Ramón Rodríguez), compose the emotional core of the picture.
As a movie that revolves around the most powerful nations in a summit in South Africa’s Cape Town, ‘G20’ has prime international talent with Italy’s Sabrina Impacciatore, Britain’s Douglas Hodge, Korean-American MeeWha Alana Lee and American Elizabeth Marvel. The picture allows South Africans Theo Bongani Ndyalvane and Noxolo Dlamini to shine and show that they are capable action heroes in their own right.
Another strong moment in the picture is the shooting scene, which is followed by a fighting scene, all under dark lights. This shows the choreographic and stunt proficiency in high-caliber pictures and how to photograph dark-skinned talent in very few lighted scenes. For action film aficionados, this is the moment that stands out.
Patricia Riggen, Gabriela Mclain, and producers Julius Tennon and Viola Davis with ‘G20’ show that there is a market for this product and that Davis can go further with bigger budgets and cinema theater weeks. There are many action movies that are called B movies out there, but the attributes pointed out in this article, and mostly Viola Davis’s acting skills and dedication, push it above much of the “content” offered today and serve as a new direction for the revered actress.
“I don’t think every movie you do has to be considered for an Academy Award. I wanted to do something that families could watch together, something popular,” said Davis in an interview with The Times of London. Critics forget that sometimes, viewers want something to forget our mundane lives and that dramatic roles are psychologically demanding for actors and those involved. The EGOT winner Viola Davis shines in the entertaining ‘G20.’
