When the G20 summit comes under siege, U.S. President becomes the number one target. After evading capture by the attackers, she must outsmart the enemy to protect her family, defend her country and safeguard world leaders. A film by Patricia Riggen, starring Viola Davis, Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Ramón Rodríguez, Douglas Hodge, Elizabeth Marvel, Sabrina Impacciatore, Clark Gregg, Christopher Farrar, John Hoogenakker, Ali Suliman, Angela Sarafyan, and Antony Starr.

Inside a dimly lit Budapest church, Quoll (Angela Sarafyan) meets Bousquet (Conrad Kemp) to hand over a stolen crypto wallet, a job commissioned by Rutledge. When Bousquet refuses to pay the agreed sum, claiming Rutledge needs to verify the transactions on the blockchain first, Quoll’s suspicions rise.

Without hesitation, she grabs a massive candle, strikes Bousquet, and escapes with the wallet still in her possession. Her freedom is short-lived, however. Rutledge (Antony Starr) later finds her in a bar. He kills her and takes the crypto wallet worth a staggering 70 million dollars.

At the White House, President Danielle Sutton (Viola Davis) makes a public announcement regarding the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa, where leaders from the world’s 20 wealthiest nations will gather to assess the global economy and address a growing hunger crisis. President Sutton proposes a digital currency solution called the Together Plan, emphasizing its user-friendly interface and security features. The press conference takes an uncomfortable turn when a journalist embarrasses her with a pointed question about her ability to keep Americans safe when she seemingly cannot maintain order in her own home. The question references a viral video of her underage daughter Serena, who escaped White House security the previous night only to be apprehended by Secret Service agents at a Georgetown bar.

Initially, President Danielle intends to travel with her husband Derek (Anthony Anderson) and Treasury Secretary Joanna Worth. However, after the public embarrassment, President Sutton feels compelled to bring along their daughter Serena (Marsai Martin) and son Demetrius (Christopher Farrar), fearing Serena might cause more trouble if left behind. Unsurprisingly, Serena is furious at her mother’s decision.

During the journey to South Africa aboard Air Force One, President Sutton and Treasury Secretary Joanna Worth (Elizabeth Marvel) receive a security briefing from Vice President Harold Moseley (Clark Gregg) and CIA Director Mikkelson (Julius Tennon) via video conference. Mikkelson explains that while the hotel is essentially a fortress, they’ve brought in PAX Worldwide Security for additional support due to the host nation’s limited experience. President Sutton voices concerns about using private contractors, clearly uncomfortable with the arrangement. Mikkelson assures her that the PAX team has been thoroughly vetted over the past six months and passed all security checks. Joanna backs Mikkelson’s assessment, insisting this approach is the best option available.

At the mountaintop hotel in Cape Town, head of security Warren Paxton (Gideon Emery) welcomes Corporal Rutledge, his former war comrade. Paxton expresses surprise that Rutledge wanted to join them working logistics, completely unaware of Rutledge’s hidden agenda and the terrifying plan that’s already been set in motion.

During the G20’s evening reception in the ballroom where leaders of participating nations gather, Rutledge orders his men to escort the press out. Derek also leaves to check on their children. From the control room, Rutledge initiates a coordinated series of actions that unfold simultaneously: flooding the floor with knockout gas, locking the ballroom doors, directing PAX security trucks to secure the perimeter gates, remotely detonating a bomb that wipes out the entire U.S. Special Forces CAT team, and personally killing Paxton. In minutes, he takes complete control of the hotel and holds the world leaders hostage.

Chaos erupts when a PAX team of armed men enters the ballroom and begins capturing world leaders, separating them from their spouses. President Sutton manages to escape through a hidden door behind the bar along with her Secret Service agent Manny Ruiz (Ramón Rodríguez), UK Prime Minister Oliver Everett (Douglas Hodge), the head of the International Monetary Fund Elena Romano (Sabrina Impacciatore), and South Korean First Lady Han Min-Seo (MeeWha Alana Lee).

Directed by Patricia Riggen with screenplay by Caitlin Parrish, Erica Weiss, Logan Miller and Noah Miller, “G20” is an action thriller following a U.S. female president with a military background. When terrorists attack the G20 summit in South Africa, she must use her combat skills to protect her family and stop the threat.

While Viola Davis delivers a notable performance as a former war hero turned president, her combat skills stretch believability. She single-handedly lands precise shots on highly trained mercenaries and even takes one out in hand-to-hand combat. It might work if she were portrayed as an elite sniper or John Wick’s protégé, but as is, it feels unrealistic.

The script leans heavily on exposition-heavy dialogue including women’s suffrage a century ago, cryptocurrency breakdowns, and Deepfake AI explanations, making often feels less like organic storytelling and more like forced agenda-pushing. Rather than trusting the audience or letting tension build naturally, it repeatedly stops the momentum to deliver blunt points.

Despite lacking plot twists or iconic action sequences, G20 still captures that classic ’90s action-movie charm. I only wish Clark Gregg’s character had more screen time and a more impactful role in the story.

G20 was released on Amazon Prime on 10 April 2025.