Heads of State Brings Back Buddy Action and Adventure with Feminist Twist

Given the global state of politics at the moment, it was nice to see a film that lightly addressed those issues without knocking you over the head with the seriousness of it all.

In the action-comedy ‘Heads of State,’ the UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) and U.S. President Will Derringer (John Cena) have a not-so-friendly and very public rivalry that jeopardizes their countries’ “special relationship.” But when they become the targets of a powerful and ruthless foreign adversary—who proves more than a match for the two leaders’ security forces—they are begrudgingly forced to rely on the only two people they can trust: each other. Ultimately allied with the brilliant MI6 agent Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), they must go on the run and find a way to work together long enough to thwart a global conspiracy that threatens the entire free world.

Eerily parallel to real life, this film makes the US president seem like a shallow idiot, but then he somehow gets his head in the game when it matters the most (unlike our current state of affairs). John Cena does an exemplary job without making Will a totally doofus. Of course, a script full of puns doesn’t hurt and completely adds to the humorous aspects of the film. Loved that the UK Prime Minister (Elba) was a man of color, something that I believe has yet to exist in that country – EVER. The subtlety of how the screenwriter throws in a dig about how the Prime Minister has very little power and that the King of England is really the one running things say a lot about the reality of their country as well.

These types of films don’t work unless the chemistry is palpable. Cena and Elba make it look easy, and both are joyous to watch onscreen.

Going all the way back to the NBC series “Quantico” with Priyanka Chopra, reaches back to her action adventure roots. Her presence is not just there as a romantic liaison for the lead. She actually has backstory and a purpose that doesn’t involve a man being her knight in shining armor.  Having said that I love how the women in the film represented both the villain and the hero and weren’t there to cinematically window dress.

Naishuller succeeds in providing insane action sequences that will keep the audience’s attention. I literally flinched and gasped out loud more than a few times. Loved, loved, loved the opening sequence with the tomatoes in Italy exemplified and enhanced only by stunt and camera work was super impressive. Kudos and shout out to to Ben Davis (cinematographer), Milan Alavanja (stunt supervisor) and especially Alice Naigeon for her amazing doubling of Chopra in the aforemetioned sequence.

I know the screenwriters Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec and Harrison Query wanted to set up the conflict between the two world leaders with the press conference, but it all just goes on for way too long making pacing a pit of an issue during the first act of the film. Especially the brief meetup in the hallway used as a set up for the whole fish and chips line that is used continuously throughout the dialogue for the sole purpose of that pub moment at the end where they literally eat fish and chips.

Is Heads of State corny?  Of course it is, but that’s what makes it fun to watch and experience.  Lord knows we could all use a good chuckle or two right about now amidst the madness.