Prime Video’s new action movie G20 serves as a new addition to the particular subgenre of exciting action thrillers that focus on the President, and Viola Davis certainly makes a great action hero. The film sees President Danielle Sutton preparing for the G20 summit by presenting her new plan to help alleviate the economic struggles faced by less-wealthy nations. Along with her plan not being well-received by many of her peers, it also sparks the ire of a terrorist group who infiltrate and take over the summit, causing chaos.
While G20 has received negative Rotten Tomatoes reviews so far, there is something to be said about the movie’s entertainment value and Viola Davis’s ability to carry the movie to completion as a leader with both heart and strength. G20 is easy to sit back and enjoy. It takes some of the classic genre conventions from older, well-known action movies and combines them with a plot rooted in the 21st century. It’s no surprise that audiences are already ready for more after the exciting watch, and luckily there are other great options to follow G20 up with.
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White House Down (2013)
The 2013 Movie Has Similar Action
White House Down makes use of very similar action and themes to G20 but its different circumstances contrast to the new Prime Video movie quite well. White House Down follows Channing Tatum’s John Cale after he is left saddened by a failed job interview as a Secret Service agent, but he is soon forced into unexpected circumstances that more than show off his security prowess. When terrorists attack the White House while Cale and his daughter are on a tour, he becomes responsible for the safety of the President and the nation.
The non-stop action of White House Down is supremely entertaining, and it is arguably slightly funnier than G20.
White House Down and G20, like many action movies, make use of the main characters being in the wrong place at the wrong time to get caught in the line of fire (though in the right place and time to become heroes). Thanks to their previous military skills, though, they create trouble that the terrorists were never expecting. The non-stop action of White House Down is supremely entertaining, and it is arguably slightly funnier than G20.
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Under Siege (1992)
Steven Seagal Faces Off With Tommy Lee Jones
The 1992 action thriller sees Steven Seagal as Casey Ryback take on the villain, Tommy Lee Jones’ William Strannix. Ryback serves as a cook on the USS Missouri, though he secretly harbors previous military experience as a Navy SEAL. When a group of terrorists looking to steal missiles from the battleship takes over the ship and kills many of the higher-ranking crew, Ryback steps in to save the day.
Under Siege received positive reviews from critics, who highlighted its differences from many of Seagal’s more poorly received works. The movie was praised for its direction and the claustrophobic nature of the battleship setting. Tommy Lee Jones’ performance as William Strannix, a disillusioned CIA agent with a bone to pick, is the highlight of the film. Though its unusual setting makes it unique, there are a lot of similarities to G20 that audiences will love.
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Die Hard (1988)
The ’80s Action Classic Is Hard To Beat
If there is one classic action movie that has influenced the formula of every action movie to be released since, it is Die Hard, and that influence is clear G20. The trope of the experienced fighter and quick thinker being separated from the rest of their group and having to save their companions is what Die Hard is all about. New York cop John McClane fights off money-hungry terrorists at his wife’s work Christmas party with a style that has been imitated ever since.
While neither the President nor any political motives are involved in Die Hard, Bruce Willis’ John McClane and Viola Davis’ Danielle Sutton would get along nicely. Their fight scenes are guaranteed to entertain audiences, creating an action hero that you are ready to root for right from the start. With great performances from Willis and Alan Rickman and a тιԍнтly wound plot, it is no surprise that Die Hard has maintained its legendary status and become the blueprint for action thrillers.
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Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
The Series Feels Very Similar To G20
The Olympus Has Fallen series has already gained some comparisons to G20, and it’s not hard to see why. Olympus Has Fallen stars Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan Freeman and follows a former Secret Service agent’s attempt to protect the President and stop the US’s nuclear missiles from being launched. While Butler’s Mike Banning had previously lost his job and the President’s trust, his unyielding attempts to save the President from terrorists prove him to be an exciting action hero.
At every turn, Banning is able to outsmart the movie’s villains, just like G20‘s President Danielle Sutton. As he has proven through his other action films, Gerard Butler is a more than capable action hero. At the time of its release, Olympus Has Fallen received mixed reviews, but it fared better than expected at the box office and even earned two sequels, London Has Fallen and Angel Has Fallen, which saw the main characters reprise their roles for audiences who want even more action.
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Air Force One (1997)
Air Force One Sees The President Take Matters Into His Own Hands
While many of the President-centered action movies that have become popular focus on a Secret Service agent or other smart military figure saving the President and the day, Air Force One sees the President save himself, making it very similar to G20. Harrison Ford stars as President James Marshall, a quick thinker and veteran of the Vietnam War. While flying back to the United States from Moscow, Air Force One is hijacked by neo-Soviet terrorists who disagree with Marshall’s plan for US foreign policy.
Air Force One does fall into many of the classic tropes of the genre in a similar way as G20, but Harrison Ford’s likable hero and Gary Oldman’s devoted villain make the film work.
With no one else to save him, his family, or his administration, Marshall decides to save himself, much like Sutton. Air Force One does fall into many of the classic tropes of the genre in a similar way as G20, but Harrison Ford’s likable hero and Gary Oldman’s devoted villain make the film work. If Ford’s James Marshall is the prototype of a strong Presidential action hero, then Viola Davis takes up that mantle well with her turn in G20.
