Heading straight to Prime Video, Heads of State is one of the best action-comedies I’ve seen in recent memory. John Cena and Idris Elba are the comedic duo I didn’t know I needed in my life. Along with Priyanka Chopra Jonas, the film boasts a hilarious cast and loads of action that fans won’t be able to resist.
Directed by Ilya Naishuller, UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) and U.S. President Will Derringer (John Cena) have been at odds, and the public knows it. Neither one of them respects the other, and neither side has found a way to remedy the situation. During an attempt at reconciliation, they become targets of a foreign adversary that wants to see them both dead. Unable to trust those around them, they’re forced to rely on each other for support and find a way to thwart a global conspiracy that poses a threat to the entire world.
There’s a lot to enjoy about this film, and it starts with the cast. We get to see the many sides of John Cena as he’s unafraid to embrace self-inflicted humor as he portrays a former actor who turned president (playing off that small window of time where Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson toyed with a presidential bid). Playing into American stereotypes, Cena’s character was all about revenge, showing his country’s strength, and playing up his public approval. Elba, on the other hand, easily played into British stereotypes, displaying classic arrogance and petty insults. How petty? During Derringer’s presidential run, Clarke invited his opponent out for fish & chips; an insult he played up the entire film. Cena being American and Elba being British only made the barbs exchanged funnier and more authentic.
We continue to see the growth of Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the field of action as she takes on the role of secret agent Noel Bisset. I’m familiar with her game as I’ve seen her on Prime Video’s Citadel, but because she’s not a central character here, I feel like she’s able to shine brighter. There’s no need to focus on her 24/7, which makes her puns land easier and her fists land with more authority. We get a brief backstory on the history between Bisset and Prime Minister Clarke, but it was just enough to inform and not bore. Paddy Considine plays Viktor Gradov, an arms dealer with an expansive network who bribed multiple politicians. From TV to film, Considine has gone from a mob guy with unstable children (Paramount’s Mobland) to a complete bad ass with weapons and henchmen galore. He doesn’t contribute to the film’s humor, but with Katrina Durden (Olga the Killer) and Alexander Kuznetsov (Sasha the Killer), they saturate the film with action, violence, and some memorable car and fight scenes. Marty (Jack Quaid) runs a safe house and gets the best job of them all: bringing the most humor in the least amount of screentime.
The formula used here is nothing new. It’s the “pair two people together who don’t like each other, and watch them grow to a mutual understanding”, nothing that hasn’t been done. What makes this film so unique is that it isn’t completely transparent. There’s action and humor, no doubt, but there’s also an element of mystery. Both the president and the Prime Minister conclude there’s a mole in one of their camps, and it’s a mystery as to who it could be. The writing is fantastic, as the characters tag the audience along with them to uncover the layers involved in solving the mystery. And all along that journey, we get a front row seat to watch both world leaders exchange barbs over lifestyle choices, accents, and past occupations. There are also a handful of characters who get introduced and then fade from the foreground of the story. Do they return? Are they dead? Again, the writing of this film, which was 10x funnier than expected, is top-notch.
Heads of State gets a 9.5 out of 10. There’s humor in the dialogue, and then there are dad jokes and puns. Who doesn’t love a good pun? This film really does have it all: a love interest, a pair of heroes, an inspirational message that doesn’t go overboard on the inspiration, and we even see an Amazon MGM Studios version of Air Force One and The Beast. The soundtrack matches the violence in every step of his top-tier action comedy, and I can’t recommend this enough.
Heads of State is out now on Prime Video
-Jon Jones
Photos: Amazon MGM Studios
Genre: Action, Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins
Trailer: Watch
U.S. Release Date: July 2