In G20, President Danielle Sutton must save her family and other global leaders when the G20 Summit is taken over by terrorists. There are moments of heroism and sacrifice in this trope-heavy action film, but they’re overshadowed by a torrent of bloody violence and profane language.
After U.S. President and war hero James Marshall proposes a controversial change to foreign policy, he travels from Russia on Air Force One. But the plane is hijacked by terrorists hoping to leverage the president in a ploy to free a military dictator. Complicating matters, the president’s wife and daughter are on the plane with him. With no other options, it’s up to President Marshall to outfight the terrorists and save his family and the rest—
Hang on.
[Checks notes.]
Sorry, I was thinking of a different movie. Let’s try that again …
After U.S. President and war hero Danielle Sutton proposes a controversial change to foreign policy, she travels to South Africa for the G20 Summit. But the summit is hijacked by terrorists hoping to leverage the president in a ploy to crash the global markets. Complicating matters, the president’s husband and two children are at the summit with her. With no other options, it’s up to President Sutton to outfight the terrorists and save her family and the rest of the hostages.
Is there an echo in here?
There are several moments of bravery and self-sacrifice in G20, as President Sutton and others put their lives on the line for others. Both the president and her husband, Derek, go to great lengths to protect their children.
President Sutton proposes a digital currency solution which will aid poor countries around the world. A mother and daughter who have had a rocky relationship reconcile. People support and encourage one another amid harrowing circumstances.
The movie opens in a church, with a woman kneeling before a collection of votive candles. A man joins her. These feigned spiritual gestures, however, are simply a cover: The two people are not there to pray but to engage in an illicit trade.
Someone is seen wearing priestly garb.
President Sutton and her husband kiss. A woman laments that Derek doesn’t have an “older brother who likes divorcees.” Serena, the president’s 17-year-old daughter, is briefly seen in shorts and stockings that show a lot of leg. Another person wears a top that shows her midriff.
G20 is rated R, and that rating is due chiefly to its violence. Dozens of people, hostages and terrorists alike, are shot, stabbed, strangled or blown up. Most of that violence is accompanied by the spray or splatter of blood.
President Sutton, along with her bodyguard Manny, kill several terrorists as they try to escape the summit. One mercenary is electrocuted. Another’s face gets burned against a hot stovetop. A man tries to kill a woman by choking her.
Children are kidnapped and threatened. Someone’s ear is cut off and dropped into a champagne glass. An agent dives in front of someone to intercept a bullet. Hostages are threatened. Some are murdered. A man is severely beaten. People brawl, giving (and receiving) painful-looking punches and kicks. Someone falls to his death.
We hear a grim story about a military encounter President Sutton had when she was in the Army. At a briefing, the president jokes, “Who wants to kill me today?”
Jesus’ name is abused seven times. There are 10 misuses of God’s name, twice paired with “d—.” We hear the s-word eight times, with one instance of “bulls—.” There are uses of “a-,” “a–hole,” “bada–,” “h—” and “b–tard” as well. The British profanity “bloody” is heard a handful of times.
Serena (who is underage) sneaks out to a bar early in the film, and we later see a video of her drinking shots. A woman says gin was the reason she was able to raise four daughters. People drink champagne at the G20 Summit. One world leader suggests waiting until their peers have had a few drinks before trying to convince them of policy changes.
The terrorists’ plan revolves around using deepfakes of world leaders to drive people to invest exclusively in cryptocurrency, which they will then steal via a MacGuffin-esque crypto-wallet.
President Sutton and her daughter have a strained relationship for much of the film. Serena chafes under the restrictions of being the president’s daughter. When she complains that she “didn’t choose this [life],” her mother bluntly tells her, “You don’t get to choose.” When she commiserates with her husband after a fight with Serena, he says, “[Serena’s] a teenager. She hates everybody.”
Someone is informed that a particular world leader doesn’t care for “strong women.” That same leader is dismissive of President Sutton’s forceful leadership, telling her, “Nobody likes a bulldozer.” For her part, the president has some strong rhetoric, saying that if countries want to remain allies with America, they’ll have to fall in line with her policy decisions. Sutton’s treasury secretary offers to speak to someone, “one soulless capitalist to another.”
Yes, G20, which takes its name from the annual forum of the world’s largest economies, is quite similar in setup and plot as the ‘90s Harrison Ford thriller Air Force One: An American president must contend with terrorists to save loved ones and stand for freedom. But, hey, action movies aren’t necessarily known for their creativity. (I mean, it could be argued that Air Force One is simply Die Hard on a plane.)
And there are some positive takeaways from G20. President Sutton is a true hero, willing to fight and sacrifice to save lives—both physically and in the political sphere. The members of the First Family love each other, and this shines through all the brighter as their situation grows more dire. In the crucible of a terrorist attack, world leaders stand up against violence and cooperate for everyone’s benefit.
But, like Air Force One before it, G20 presents a deadly (albeit, more cartoony) scenario and leans into the resulting carnage. Bloody violence is a frequent companion here. So is harsh language. So, while President Danielle Sutton is a leader worth following, families will have to consider if G20 is a movie worth watching.
Bret loves a good story—be it a movie, show, or video game—and enjoys geeking out about things like plot and story structure. He has a blast reading and writing fiction and has penned several short stories and screenplays. He and his wife love to kayak the many beautiful Colorado lakes with their dog.
Our weekly newsletter will keep you in the loop on the biggest things happening in entertainment and technology. Sign up today, and we’ll send you a chapter from the new Plugged In book, Becoming a Screen-Savvy Family, that focuses on how to implement a “screentime reset” in your family!
