Look, there’s nothing wrong with the genre of action comedy. Countless films have pulled off a win, from the likes of “The Blues Brothers” to “Beverly Hills Cop,” and when the concept of the buddy teamup enters the chat, when done right can result in any number of classics (I’m looking at you, “Bad Boys” and “Hot Fuzz”). With decent-enough modern day field goals under his belt that include 2015’s still-unique “Hardcore Henry” and 2021’s “Nobody,” director Ilya Naishuller has aligned himself with the screenwriting Kings of Mixed Results, Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec, as they attempt to further distance themselves from two faceplants that are a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action franchise reboot with “Heads of State.”
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The results, sadly, continue to remain mixed. On paper, it may not seem at all offensive: Idris Elba as the Prime Minister of Britain? John Cena as the President of the United States? Two deeply charming talents, roughhousing their way through just shy of two hours’ worth of bullets and barbs? Does the plot matter in any way at this point? Likely no, but still worth mentioning: an opening scene introduces Noelle (Priyanka Chopra), an MI6 agent presumed killed following a skirmish with arms dealer Viktor Gradov (Paddy Considine) gone wrong.
Meanwhile, Elba’s Sam Clarke and Cena’s Will Derringer prepare to travel to the imminent NATO summit as a team. However, all this exists as merely a facade as Clarke lacks any semblance of respect for his overseas counterpart, a former movie star with a penchant for referencing his previous blockbusters every other sentence or two. One plane crash later, brought about by none other than Gradov, and the pair find themselves stranded in Belarus; with the world believing the men dead, it’s up to them to work through a web of conspiracy as they work towards their ultimate goal of keeping NATO intact, as much as finding a common ground as friends. It’s that all-too-familiar genre once again, wrapped with the Presidential Seal or Great Seal of the Realm, with a lesson or two inevitably ready to be taken in along the way.
As the credits unfurl, don’t be surprised if any memory of such a plot begins to evaporate, though the chemistry between Elba and Cena does work, even if it’s hardly anything not seen within the likes of, say, “Planes, Trains and Automobiles. “Wearing his perpetually cheerful expression, Cena continues to remain content with operating inside the acting boundaries set by himself, while surrounding our heroes sits a supporting casts ranging from acceptable to unexpectedly committed; Jack Quaid, as a CIA agent onscreen for mere minutes as he provides shelter for Clarke and Derringer, dials into his role in a way only Quaid seems fit to perform, with Chopra doing much the same. Though the mere sight of Carla Gugino as the Vice President may still be enough to draw attention in the direction of such a legend, her one-note performance, while never quite falling flat, does plateau early on. The same can be said for Sarah Niles as the backstabbing White House Chief of Staff, and if you think that’s Stephen Root and Sharlto Copley in a pair of all-too-brief near-cameos, you’re correct.
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The real meat lies in the action, to the surprise of no one, with either “Sabotage” or “Kickstart My Heart” soundtracking the moments; it speaks to the overall flow of “Heads of State,” with the team of Naishuller, Appelbaum and Nemec knowing just when to inject the film with the energy it needs and avoid its tenedency to become lost in a festival of witty dialogue. A recurring segment involves one character asking another how they got out of an earlier jam, cutting to a quick montage showing the steps taken to accomplish such a feat. It’s played for laughs, and in both cases, it sticks the landing, almost acting as a narrative bonus in a film that could use it.
As forgettable as it may be, “Heads of State” has enough juice to warrant at minimum a view, if for no other reason than to see the duo of Idris Elba and John Cena, with a dash of Jack Quaid’s rising talent thrown in for good measure. Come for the stars, stay for the action, and once all’s been said and done, throw on “Bad Boys. “Plenty of others do it all, just slightly better. [B]
“Head Of State” is available now on Prime Video.