Remove a few mobile phones and gadgets and Heads Of State could believably be a relic of the 1980s. And that is absolutely its greatest strength. An old-school mismatched-buddy movie with apparently no ambitions other than to be a thoroughly fun time, it hits that rare undemanding-but-entertaining sweet spot that so many modern action-comedies miss.
Early on, you might wonder if it’s misjudged its tone. The opening sequence, in which an undercover sting to apprehend a miscellaneous bad guy (Paddy Considine) goes fatally wrong, comes off like a cut-price Mission: Impossible. Then there’s the slightly stiff introduction of two clashing world leaders: long-serving UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba), whose slumping popularity has put him in a persistent grump, and newly elected US President Will Derringer (John Cena), a former action-movie star who sees little difference between being a scripted hero and a real one. There’s a bit of awkwardness to their early scenes, with Cena’s big, broad performance not quite gelling with Elba’s huffy delivery.
Thankfully, something soon clicks. Starting with a sequence in which Air Force One is shot down, stranding Clarke and Derringer in the Belarusian wilderness, a sense of enthusiastic silliness grows. Clarke becomes the competent survivalist, drawing on old SAS training, while Derringer tries to apply his Hollywood training to real life. He discovers choreographed fight moves won’t get you through a real punch-up and a gun fight is a little more complicated when your enemy is firing real bullets. Cena is always good value playing characters with minimal self-awareness (see also: Peacemaker, Blockers, his brief cameo in Barbie), and Elba gets some strong laughs as the straighter character, rolling his eyes at the blowhard American.
The daftness keeps building as the film progresses, until in the final act it seems to be pushing the limits of just how far it can stretch credulity. It starts winkingly referencing its own clichés and the action gets crazier. It all culminates in a truly bonkers car chase that tests the boundaries of logic, physics and the feasible athleticism of middle-aged men.
After the uncertain start, director Ilya Naishuller (who has a solid track record for outlandish action-comedies with the likes of Hardcore Henry and Nobody) develops a strong handle on the tone, building the absurdity gradually, so it never lurches. He piles up touches of goofiness bit by bit, like a game of Buckaroo!, careful never to do too much too quickly and send the whole thing skittering. By the time it reaches its highly improbable conclusion, you could reasonably be rolling your eyes at how mad it all is, but you’ll probably be having such a blast that you won’t feel any need to