Heads of State

Who knew Idris Elba was this funny?

He's hilarious as UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke in the rip roaring new action comedy HEADS OF STATE.

Of course it helps that he's paired against John Cena as the newly appointed President of the United States, Will Derringer.

The film feels like a classic buddy comedy in the spirit of "Lethal Weapon" but it sports a huge budget and even bigger action scenes.

Elba's Clarke is 7 years into his tenure, defeated by the political process and he's dreading meeting Derringer, a former movie star whose enthusiasm and positivity leaves the veteran exhausted.

Just before an important NATO meeting in London, terrorist Viktor Gradov (Paddy Considine from "Mobland") pulls off a massive attack on Air Force One, with both Clarke and Derringer aboard. This sequence is an explosive blast, well staged as a clever mix of thrills and laughs. It's the kind of fun action that was common in the 80's and 90's but I hadn't realized I've missed.

Elba and Cena have a relaxed banter that surprised me. I expected Cena to play the President as a goofy buffoon, leaning into the physical comedy that he's so good at playing. He does, but he also surprised me by painting a President with a bit more depth than expected.

But comedy rules the day and laughs are plentiful.

Priyanka Chopra Jones is a modern day action hero Noel, a lethal MI:6 agent with past ties to Clarke.

The always great Carla Gugino is Vice President Elizabeth Kirk, appointed President when Clarke and Derringer are assumed dead in the Air Force One attack.

Jack Quaid (Novocaine) is very funny as Marty Comer, an overly enthusiastic safe house operative who's got a lot of pent up desire for diving into his arsenal.

The film gets a lot of things right. By setting Clarke and Derringer up as a couple of world leaders on the run the the heart of Europe's countryside, the film becomes a road trip buddy comedy, until Gradov's team track them down and send hit squad after hit squad to take them out. A buddy comedy whose characters are two of the most powerful men on the globe shouldn't work, but it sings.

Elba proves again why he was a great candidate for James Bond about a decade ago, believable in every action scene and tossing off great one liners while oozing class.

Cena is the most likable I've ever seen him on screen. He's funny as hell, especially in the scenes where his President Clarke starts to realize that being a Schwarzenegger-like movie star is a far cry from facing off against real bad guys with real guns.

So often, these type of films don't know how to wrap up without disappointment, but Director Ilya Naishuller (Nobody) delivers a fun, satisfying final 20 minutes that will make action fans happy and comedy fans ecstatic.

HEADS OF STATE is a blast. I'd love to see these two paired up again for another adventure, or maybe we'll see the continuation based on those........okay, you see for yourself.

Enjoy the big laughs and the even bigger explosions, this old fashioned buddy flick gets a B+.