After Viola Davis, as the US President took on a gang of terrorists in G20, why should male leaders be left behind? In a fictional universe, it’s a level playing field for heroism.
In Ilya Naishuller fast-paced action adventure, Heads Of State, when the President of the US, a former action movie star Will Dellinger (John Cena), and Prime Minister of the UK, Sam Clark (Idris Elba) first meet, they behave like immature school boys, trading insults. There’s a NATO meeting they have to attend in Italy, after they have reluctantly posed for happy photos for the press. As a PR stunt, Will invites Sam to travel on Air Force One (the swanky presidential aircraft).
In the opening sequence, the Russian villain, Viktor Gradov (Paddy Considine) is introduced at Spain’s Tomatina festival, which makes a colourful backdrop for the mass murder or CIA and M16 agents hunting for the evil weapons dealer. Only Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) survives, and disappears. Gradov also infiltrates Echelon, the major surveillance tool developed in America.
As the tragedy in Spain disturbs the impending NATO conference, in an impossibly daring attack, Gradov’s team crashes the plane, killing all on board. Will and Sam make a miraculous escape, and are now stuck together because they have no choice. Will thinks all they have to go is get to a CIA safe house, Sam is more cautious, but both do not know that Echelon is tracking all their movements, so wherever they go, Gradov’s minions land up. Two of them – a male (Alexander Kuznetsov) and a female (Katrina Durden) are robotic and practically indestructible, like cartoon villains.
As the two men fight and dodge bullets, rocket launchers and bombs, they are joined by Noel, who also has a romantic history with Sam. The three of them fall from heights, jump out of moving vehicles and have hand to hand bouts with Gradov’s seemingly endless army, but they barely show a bruise on their skins, their clothes remain more or less intact, and not a hair on Nicole’s head gets out of place.
The film with its dizzying pace is predictable—of course the three will beat the baddies; the only suspense, if any, is the identity of the mole in the White House, who works for Gradov.
The banter between the two leaders is funny, Nicole brings in the glamour, and the film is entertaining, if expectations are kept low and the attempt at raising political issues laughed off.
For Indian viewers, it is even more thrilling to see Priyanka Chopra Jonas act with confidence in the presence of global stars and look terrific while moving with grace in the action sequences. The film was made for the OTT assembly line, but it delivers the formula with the ingredients all properly mixed and mashed.
Directed by Ilya Naishuller
Cast: Idris Elba, John Cena, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and others
