Succinct Cinema: G20
Issue 4
Today subscribers you are getting a special double feature of Succinct Cinema! This is the first review and expect another about a film playing in theaters.
When I found out that acting icon Viola Davis was going to play the president of the United States (for the first time, which feels wrong) in a family action thriller called G20 (2025)…I was in! I have been a total fangirl of Davis since I saw her brief knockout performance in Doubt (2008) opposite Meryl Streep. The film also starred the late, truly great Philip Seymour Hoffman with a powerful performance by Amy Adams.
I actually first saw Davis in Antwone Fisher (2002) starring Derek Luke and Denzel Washington. Davis also stole focus in this film with her cameo as a divisive figure--Luke’s absentee mother. Antwone Fisher came out when I was barely out of high school and I remember being so deeply moved by it—a film about this very gentle, beautiful, persevering young black man—and it was based on a true story. That movie’s success was a creative triumph in black cinema during the early aughts. Luke was a revelation in it! And Denzel delivered a touching performance in the heartfelt feature that he also co-produced. It’s hard to imagine an important, small film like Antwone Fisher taking over the box office in 2025. Regardless, Viola Davis has kept original black storytelling alive throughout her career. Indeed 2025’s G20, streaming on Prime, centers a black family where each member is individualized and empowered for their part in telling this story in a fun, family-friendly, nuanced, action-packed movie that Davis also co-produces.
G20 takes place in the near future over about 2 days when President Danielle Sutton (Davis) and her family—Derek (Anthony Anderson), her husband, and kids Serena (Marsai Martin) and Demetrius (Christopher Farrar)—go on a work trip to South Africa for a summit of nations called the G20. Naturally some vengeful terrorists seek to [INSERT DIABOLICAL PLAN HERE] and take over the world. But seriously, it’s an interesting bad guy plot and worldview that is showcased in the film; it features bitter veterans, artificial intelligence and crypto.
Aside from an inviting family element and amusing bad guys, the film has some good buddy elements between Sutton and her head of security Agent Manny Ruiz (Ramón RodrÃguez), both veterans of the military. There is also an interesting, true-to-life storyline for Treasury Secretary Joanna Worth (Elizabeth Marvel), a close ally of President Sutton. Through President Sutton, Agent Ruiz, and a global cast, G20 celebrates a kind of heroism or patriotism that is represented unapologetically by black and brown faces. So for an action movie, it’s uniquely grounded and meaningful.
Now, this film is indeed rated R so I would not recommend it for little kids or even young teens given the mature language and violence. Nevertheless, there is something refreshing about a film with a black family in the White House including a complex, smart president who happens to be a black woman, a veteran and a national hero. If you’re looking for a film that is across between an entertaining escape and aspirational vision of presidential leadership, I highly recommend G20.
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