Director Patricia Riggen and producer/star Davis explicitly framed the project as creating space for women of color in high-action roles. Reviews highlight unsubtle dialogue where white colleagues question Sutton’s leadership, framed as misogynoir, plus a pattern of white mercenaries versus POC allies in the South African setting.

These choices influence casting and add identity-tinged subplots but remain secondary to the standard Die Hard-style premise of a president using military skills to rescue hostages and foil an economic plot. Audience and critic reception was mixed (55% on Rotten Tomatoes), with some labeling it a cringey girlboss fantasy and others enjoying it as a predictable 90s-style action throwback; no widespread boycott or review-bombing occurred.