‘Heads of State’ review: Action film plays to its stars’ strengths

Heads of State is exactly what it promises: a fast-paced, action-packed buddy comedy that leans into its absurdity with style, big laughs and big action set pieces.

Ilya Naishuller directs a script by Harrison Query, John Applebaum and Andre Nemec, which clearly understands the assignment—pair two mismatched but magnetic leads, toss them into a high-stakes international mess, and let the chemistry and chaos unfold. John Cena and Idris Elba headline the action-comedy as two political powerhouses.

Cena plays Will Derringer, a former action movie star whose latest job is as President of the United States, while Idris Elba plays Sam Clarke, the current Prime Minister of the UK. The latter’s calm, calculating exterior hides a former life in the British special armed forces, whereas Derringer relies on his celebrity to skate through his tenure. When a diplomatic visit to England almost goes off the rails (over a plate of fish and chips, among things), a little diplomatic engineering provides the perfect photo-op to change the narrative surrounding their public discord. Derringer and Clarke travel on Air Force One together, but things go sideways while they are en route to a NATO meeting in Italy.

When their plane gets compromised, the sparring leaders are forced to work together. How can the most secure plane in the world get infiltrated is a question without an answer—a theme to this film which mostly sticks to familiar territory, but plays it with enough energy and charisma to entertain.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas is cast as no-nonsense MI6 agent Noel Bisset, who assists the on-the-run heads of state in their international expedition as they attempt to stay out of Viktor Gradov’s crosshairs and reach the NATO summit unscathed.

The icy Viktor Gradov (Paddy Considine) leads a rogue militant faction threatening world leaders during a NATO summit. Naturally, the fate of international diplomacy falls into the hands of Clarke, Derringer, and the highly-skilled Noel, assisted by their respective advisors (Sarah Niles as the American Simone Bradshaw and Richard Coyle as British Quincy Harrington).

The casting is the winner here. Cena is a riot. His comic timing is sharp, and he brings a lovable meathead energy to Derringer—star of ‘Water Cobra’, a movie about a venomous snake in denim. He’s the guy who will throw a grenade along with a dialogue from one of his movies, and then immediately high-five himself for it. Idris Elba, on the other hand, is the calm in the storm. His dry delivery and disdain for his American counterpart is perfect, especially when paired with Cena’s nonstop antics. Their back-and-forth—often poking fun at British vs. American quirks—is half the fun. Elba’s stoic glare bouncing off Cena’s impulsiveness doesn’t get old and their chemistry carries the movie through its more predictable beats. 

Noel is a pun-loving, smart and cool agent who balances the otherwise testosterone-heavy leads with Priyanka Chopra Jonas holding her own in nearly every scene she’s in. It’s refreshing to see her in a role that’s funny, physical, and substantial all at once. 

The action is stylish and quirky. It’s not reinventing the genre, but it’s done with enough flair and tongue-in-cheek humour to keep things zipping along, smoothly toggling between action and comedy. The action in the backyard of a house in Poland is absurd yet amusing. 

If there’s one weak link, it’s the villain. Gradov’s not particularly interesting and the movie doesn’t spend much time fleshing him out. 

The real fun is in watching Cena, Elba, and Chopra Jonas play off each other as they try to save the world (and themselves) with minimal planning and maximum chaos. Heads of State succeeds by playing to its stars’ strengths. It’s pacy, funny, and manages to give its slight premise some bite.

‘Heads of State’ is on Amazon Prime.

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