‘G20’ movie review: Choppy editing, cringe dialogues drub Viola Davis-starrer action thriller

Academy Award winner Viola Davis is always a treat to watch. So when Davis, known for her performances in Doubt, The Help, Fences, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and The Woman King, produces a movie starring herself as an action star, my hopes hit an all-time high. And it is, for the most part.

G20 is intelligently conceptualised. It takes the premise from world politics, and sets most of the story in South Africa. The cast is diverse, and international. From secret agents, security professionals, and even world leaders, the characters are rich and have the potential to go places, especially with an international audience that Amazon Prime Video brings. Davis is once more in peak physical condition, and projects an action-star aura much like in The Woman King.

Yet, it devolves into a basic brainless American entertainer with the usual tropes.

Antony Starr sheds his ‘Homelander’ persona for a more menacing baddie ‘Rutledge’ in G20, going against Davis’s US President Danielle Sutton. The action is tight, the setting is intriguing, and the story makes for a great action flick, but lacklustre editing and lazy dialogues drag an otherwise good outing.

Honestly, I feel American moviemakers should at least spare us lowly rest-of-the-world from their star-spangled ‘culture’ while making films for a wider audience. Done-and-dusted tropes meeting overused quips seem to be the hallmark of this film, complete with the usual suspects from ‘Am I a bad mom now that my brilliant teenage daughter hates me’ to giving undue importance to the British as comic relief and the random European hired hands who tower over the entire cast.

Most of the film found me rolling my eyes at scenes, which demanded great dialogue, but they fell flat with obvious scene transitions and rull-of-the-mill American chest-thumping. The cast is excellent, and the acting prowess put together is a dream for any filmmaker. Yet, somewhere it lost its soul between takes. There was something amiss that I tried to zero in on.

And then it dawned on me. It never surprised the audience. It never made us invest in any of the characters. There is honestly nothing to write home about. Despite the talent, the action choreography, and the premise, it devolves into yet another ‘second-screen’ friendly gunfest.

Young Marsai Martin delivers as Serena Sutton, daughter to Davis’s character, while Anthony Anderson plays First Gentleman Derek Sutton with enough conviction. The true stars are, however, Ramon Rodriguez as Secret Service Agent Manny Ruiz, and Sabrina Impacciatore as IMF chief Elena Romano. MeeWha Alana Lee impresses as the South Korean First Lady.

But there are many missed opportunities. The excellent Clark Gregg is wasted as US Vice President Harold Mosely, and we needed more scenes from the two South African secret agents Lesedi and Melokuhle played by Noxolo Dlamini and Theo Bongani Ndyalvane, respectively. And it is the G20! South Africa, Brazil, and even India—these could have been great places to cast some legends to play world leaders, instead of focusing on the UK Prime Minister.

Overall, G20 is an okay watch. It flows decent enough to be regarded as a good family action thriller, but it drops the ball at way too many places to drive away the international audience. But let’s not forget… it had the potential to be a great geopolitical action thriller. Yet another missed opportunity for Viola Davis and her excellent acting prowess.

 

Film: G20

Director: Patricia Riggen

Cast: Viola Davis, Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Ramón Rodríguez, Douglas Hodge, Elizabeth Marvel, Sabrina Impacciatore, Clark Gregg, Antony Starr

Rating: 2/5 | ★★☆☆☆

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