Heads of State Movie Review: Technically strong action sequences make this actioner entertaining

Heads of State Movie Review: Every era of cinema has witnessed some evolution. Drama films have changed the way their plots progress. Fantasy films started to build elaborate worlds. But when it comes to action comedy, the changes aren’t very profound. The action-comedy genre, although a subgenre of two fan-favourite genres, can be termed as something that fans can return to every time without being bored by a generic template that has been rehashed with different characters and settings over time. From creating the biggest action stars in the 1980s and 90s to focusing more on the comedic element in the 2000s and 2010s, the genre sees subtle evolutions that keep it fresh. In Ilya Naishuller's Heads of State, the action comedy template has been used to create yet another entertaining film. That being said, it is worth arguing whether entertainment should be the only ideal that a film aspires to.

Director: Ilya Naishuller

Cast: John Cena, Idris Elba, Priyanka Chopra, Jack Quaid, Stephen Root, Carla Gugino, Sarah Niles, and Paddy Considine

In Heads of State, US President Will Derringer (John Cena) and UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) are attacked as a common enemy rises up against them to gain power. It is a familiar plot, but director Naishuller infuses it with technically strong action sequences. After the attack on them, Will and Sam try to find some transport in a remote village, but some hooligans get in their way. As they start to fight those hooligans, Will’s ‘gym-strength’ proves ineffective in the real world, but Sam’s military training keeps him standing. One would expect a fight reminiscent of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker from Rush Hour, but the inclusion of the realistic effects of the complex punches and kicks makes it an interesting sequence. Even during some daring escape sequences, the film infuses some realism to build up its thrill.

In Heads of State, John Cena and Idris Elba are the quintessential comic foil. Cena’s Will Derringer is a man who is an action star turned politician, while Elba’s Sam Clarke is a soldier turned politician. But the film doesn’t portray Derringer as a complete oaf and Clarke as the perfect man. Both have flaws and redeeming qualities that align with the offices of the President of the USA and Prime Minister of the UK. Derringer, who has started out as an actor, is insecure about himself and is constantly shown as seeking validation. He wants to do a good job while continuing to worry about optics, which he determines is the key to keeping his job. Clarke, who is a soldier, only focuses on the job and lacks the people skills for a politician. His rigid and snobbish demeanour constantly keeps him from moving forward properly in his job. Such simple subversion of tropes brings dignity to their characters and helps the audience root for them in a film that could have kept them two-dimensional.

With several positive aspects to root for, Heads of State also suffers from writing flaws that distract its viewers from the film. Priyanka Chopra’s Noel Bisset is an MI6 agent, whose mission sets off the events of the film. In an age where characters are fleshed out for the audience to get a holistic picture, Noel is reduced to a character who acts as a convenience for the plot to move forward. She has the right amount of plot armour to stay alive, and she is right where the plot needs her to be, but at no point do we start to care about her. The film also struggles to keep its thriller element and tries to reveal some characters as the masterminds behind the attacks, but the film makes you look past them, in addition to some red herrings to guess the true mastermind.

While there are some flaws with Heads of State, ultimately, it is a simple, fun watch. When you are unwinding and trying to look for something light, you do not go for complex films that have more layers to peel back than an onion; you look for something fun, like Heads of State.