G20

"G20" is the cinematic equivalent of wrapping the American flag around a missile and calling it diplomacy. This high-octane political action thriller positions the United States as the lone savior of the free world - again - with the kind of invincibility usually reserved for comic book superheroes or fever dreams from the Pentagon.

From the first explosion to the final, slow-motion flag wave, "G20" makes one thing clear: Americans can do anything - survive impossible odds, outwit international superpowers, and defuse geopolitical crises with a single inspirational speech or a well-aimed punch. It's not just unrealistic - it's comically over-the-top.

The plot, thin as it is, involves an elite American operative (of course) thwarting a global threat at the annual G20 summit. The rest of the world's leaders mostly stand around helplessly, reduced to background props while the U. S. single-handedly saves the day. Russian hackers? No match. Rogue drones? Shot out of the sky with sunglasses still on. Nuclear codes? Already hacked by the CIA before breakfast.

While the pacing is relentless and the action sequences are polished, the film constantly asks viewers to suspend all disbelief. It's less a geopolitical thriller and more a muscle-flexing fantasy that leaves no cliché unexplored - complete with American exceptionalism on steroids.

In short: If you're looking for realism, look elsewhere. If you're in the mood for unapologetic flag-waving, gravity-defying heroism, and a plot where the laws of physics (and politics) take a back seat to pure spectacle - "G20" delivers, just don't take it too seriously.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars - for entertainment value, not plausibility.

This laughable attempt at an action movie is peak leftist /progressive 'content' and is so detached from reality you'll surely be rooting for the baddies. Just leaves you wondering - who was this made for?! Probably the fabled 'modern audience' but as is proven time and time again, it never actually shows up...

Despite that, this is the latest effort to appease them and surely won't be the last. Will probably be studied in years to come as a prime example of just how deranged things got in the 2020s.

Watch it if you want a good laugh. It certainly doesn't take place in anything that even remotely resembles reality. Laughably bad.

G20 has some of the right elements to do its concept justice but it's undermined by its standard issue made for streaming construction and the near constant overly serious nature which prevents it from having any fun with the concept. Like most streaming originals, it borrows from far superior films and ends up being so generic that everything it's taken from them makes it feel derivative. The casting of its hero and villain saves this from being really bad.

Viola Davis is massively over qualified for this incredibly bland material which at least means she is more than capable of elevating this with her commanding screen presence and undeniable action star credentials. Anthony Starr does a good job as the main villain, relishing in his villainy and delivering several cringe worthy speeches advertising Bitcoin without completely losing the will to live in a seriously impressive feat.

Patricia Riggen's direction is pretty lifeless. The action sequences are basic and when they do add some visual flair to proceedings it feels so random, plus there's not enough of them considering the nearly 2 hour run time. It generally looks flat thanks to a colour palette that's slightly desaturated throughout which becomes kinda distracting. Some of the CGI is laughably bad but thankfully those moments are contained to small doses.

Caught this one out of curiosity and honestly, while it's not breaking any new ground, it wasn't as bad as some of these reviews make it out to be.

Yes, the plot is familiar (think Olympus Has Fallen meets streaming-era political thriller) and yes, some of the action scenes definitely stretch believability - but I actually found parts of it enjoyable. The pacing moves along quickly enough, and the production value is solid for what I assume is a straight-to-streaming project.

Anthony Starr is easily the standout - brings a fun, menacing edge to his role without going full cartoon villain. Viola Davis has her moments too, even if her character arc feels a bit rushed.

It's definitely heavy on the "message" and a bit too polished politically, but if you're not expecting a masterpiece and just want something explosive and passable to unwind to - it works. Especially if you're a fan of the cast.

It was sort of okay until about halfway through. It's annoying having a teenager save the day.

But the worst part was when the president, for the third time, decides she can't leave someone behind. She has to save them.

When the obvious thing is she can do more for them if she can actually get out of the situation.

Then she gets into a (second) fight with a terrorist, this time because she didn't just shoot him in the back of the head when she had the chance. These guys were killing people left and right, and she tells him to "drop the weapon" then lets him close while he's dropping it, and then I'm sure somehow she gets out of it, but at that point, I gave up.