Why did it feel like the President could be our buddy or our hero in the 1990s?
While it would be tempting to say we’re so divided right now, American history is filled with deep divisions (for example, that little spat, the Civil War). Instead, the ’90s, with a growing economy and the end of the Cold War, led to an era of, if not good feelings, then a sense of optimism where political differences weren’t so all-consuming. However you want to parse the “why” of the era, the fact remains that audiences got to see the chief executive as a romantic lead (“The American President”), a sensible guy-next-door (“Dave”) or an all-out action hero (“Independence Day,” “Air Force One”).
Amazon MGM Studios’ new action movie, “Heads of State,” works to return audiences to that time while also acknowledging the inherent ridiculousness of such a premise in the first place. Instead, the script carefully walks a tightrope of being broadly apolitical through the allure of its lead characters who exist in the vein of any mismatched action duo. These two guys just happen to be world leaders, and the stakes are nothing less than the dissolution of the NATO alliance. Coupled with some sharp set pieces, “Heads of State” doesn’t pretend it can change anyone’s political beliefs or even make them less jaded about the state of the U.S. or the U.K. But it does make an earnest plea for cooperation, and while there’s plenty of gleeful, dopey action, it’s a sharp move to use NATO to stress why we need to work together for peace. And if you have tough guys off a bunch of faceless bad guys along the way, then all the better.
Will Derringer (John Cena) is a former action star who, despite never serving in public office, used his celebrity and charisma to catapult to the Presidency. This doesn’t sit too well with his counterpart on the other side of the Atlantic, Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba). Worn down by his six years in office and low approval ratings, Sam, a former soldier who gutted his way through U.K. politics, sees Will as a neophyte and showboat who’s ill-suited for his office while Will feels slighted and underestimated by Sam. When terrorists led by arms dealer Viktor Gradov (Paddy Considine) target Air Force One, Will and Sam are thrown off
the grid and presumed dead. Unsure of who they can trust, they work to uncover the plot against their lives and against NATO, which is on the verge of dissolution after leaked documents show betrayal among its members.
This is a big, broad action movie, so director Ilya Naishuller isn’t trying to be particularly subtle by implying that just as Will and Sam must work through their differences, so too must the global community. Nevertheless, it’s a better thematic peg to hang the stakes on than, “Stop nuclear annihilation,” or some other global disaster the bad guys threaten in these kinds of movies. The support for NATO also feels like the movie respects its audience enough to give them a real issue with specificity to the central character conflict rather than whatever old trope is lying in the bin.
The other neat trick is how the movie uses Cena to poke fun at American machismo while also not completely undermining the character. It would be too easy to veer into making Will an all-out caricature, someone too vapid and stupid to appreciate his role. But Cena knows how to play earnestness mixed with self-deprecation. The movie doesn’t pretend that Will’s history as an action star makes him as skilled as any soldier and instead highlights his charisma and positivity for what he brings to the table. The movie dodges the jingoism of American military might in the same way Marvel did with Captain America — by leaning into a
golly-gee, guileless charm. This also makes him a perfect foil for the rapier wit deployed by Elba’s sharp-tongued Sam.
Once you’ve got the chemistry down between your leads and effectively bypassed the political landmines by acknowledging the silliness of the situation, all that’s left is the action, and it’s kind of a shame that “Heads of State” will miss theatrical release. On the one hand, it’s nice that audiences have a good new movie to watch at home over the 4th of July weekend, but Naishuller, as he showed with his previous film “Nobody,” knows how to construct inventive, propulsive action scenes. Even under a PG-13 rating, “Heads of State” gets surprisingly violent without ever being grotesque, and from its opening set piece where covert ops agent Noel (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) takes on a bunch of Viktor’s goons in a plaza covered with splattered tomatoes, Naishuller crafts memorable moments that feel in line with the movie’s bombastic tone.
“Heads of State” isn’t going to make us all magically get along, but it at least functions as a welcome reprieve into a fantasy world where our leaders act heroically and selflessly — not only through car chases and gunfights, but because they genuinely want the world to be a better place for everyone. We know it’s not the world as it is, but that wasn’t the case in the ’90s either. Still, we want to believe that those we endow with great power will use it wisely. Perhaps that hope has always been a form of escapism, but “Heads of State” is a nice reminder of why we enjoyed that escapism in the first place.
“Heads of State” is now streaming on Prime Video.
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