Heads of State Review: Idris Elba and John Cena Excel in Ilya Naishuller’s Visceral Action Comedy

I have zero expectations for Heads of State, figuring it’s nothing more than just a run-of-the-mill action comedy. But as it turns out, Ilya Naishuller of Hardcore Henry and Nobody fame surprises me instead with his entertaining mix of visceral action mayhem and lively comedy. The movie doesn’t waste time getting off to an exciting start during the Spain-set (it was actually filmed in Sospel, France) Tomatina festival score to Gipsy Kings’ “Volare”, which adds to the snappy rhythm of the ensuing action-packed moments of Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ no-nonsense MI6 agent Noel Bisset’s undercover mission gone wrong.

The story then focuses on the two world biggest world leaders between the UK (Idris Elba’s Prime Minister Sam Clarke) and the U.S. (John Cena’s President Will Derringer). The pragmatic Sam doesn’t particularly like the way Will handles things as a commander-in-chief, especially given his background as an actor primarily known for his Water Cobra action film franchise. Their contrasting personalities help elevate the movie, thanks to Elba and Cena’s committed performances. They play off each other well, and it’s fun to watch them let loose and trade insults.

When their respective UK and U.S. advisors, Quincy (Richard Coyle) and Simone (Sarah Niles), strongly suggest that the prime minister and president board Air Force One together for the sake of a PR stunt over a solidarity move, it’s all downhill from there. I mean, not the movie but rather the story written by Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol duo Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec quickly raises the stakes with a big-scale assassination attempt against the two world leaders.

The elaborate Air Force One attack from the inside and out of the sky showcases Naishuller’s flair for propulsive action set pieces and dynamic camerawork to keep you entertained. Long story short, the enemy who wants them dead manages to take down Air Force One, but Sam and Will are lucky to survive the explosion. Well, they are saved by the parachutes anyway before landing somewhere in the woods of Belarus. They are now on their own.

This is where the mismatched buddy-movie dynamic enlivens for the rest of the movie as Sam and Will continue to see things differently while forced to work together to get to a safe house located in Warsaw. It’s like a road movie from here on as they encounter a group of Russian hooligans and later, reach the Warsaw safe house where a lone CIA station agent, Marty Comer (a scene-stealing Jack Quaid), is there to help them. Here, Marty is more than a comic relief who particularly idolises Will, as the scene offers a chance for him to shine during a thrilling action scene dealing with the heavily armed assailants.

A good action comedy wouldn’t be complete without a formidable antagonist, as Heads of State gives us the always-reliable Paddy Considine to play a sadistic arms dealer, who is hell-bent on getting rid of the world leaders. At one point, there’s a scene where his killer fails to accomplish a mission, resulting in a mean-spirited moment that has to do with a teapot.

While the story slackens a little in the middle part, it doesn’t take long before Naishuller picks up the pace when Noel shows up again. A major plus point in Heads of State is that Naishuller understands the true entertainment value of not taking things seriously for a movie like this. He embraces the larger-than-life silliness of having middle-aged world leaders and a relentless MI6 agent defying the odds against the bad guys.

He knows how to ratchet up the tension as the movie progresses to the finish line, including a well-staged car chase revolving around the presidential limo of The Beast, complete with Mötley Crüe’s “Kickstart My Heart” amplifying the adrenaline rush. Naishuller’s latest movie is undoubtedly the kind of summer action-comedy blockbuster that deserves to be seen on the big screen, even though it was made for straight-to-streaming instead.

Heads of State is currently streaming on Prime Video.