Following a failed assassination attempt, the US President (John Cena) and the British Prime Minister (Idris Elba) are forced to race for their lives through Eastern Europe.
A movie clearly built on someone watching The Suicide Squad and thinking more of this minus the giant starfish, Heads of State is a passable action comedy elevated by a strong cast.
What it indicates is that screenwriters have figured out how to write for John Cena.
While he has shown dramatic chops, particularly in Peacemaker, Cena is still defined by how he looks: a parody of machismo.
Casting him requires finesse.
That giant chin is just a shade big.
His mouth too wide.
By sheer luck of birth (and some other scientific means), he looks like a human cartoon.
He also has an understanding of how he plays on camera, and a willingness to poke fun at himself.
Maybe this comes from wrestling, but he seems to have an openness to trying things, rather than protect a brand.
I know the Rock has been trying to do a remake of Big Trouble in Little China for years but it is Cena who would fit the tone of that film.
He is a major asset here.
The idea of a celebrity, unqualified president is not novel anymore, but Cena infuses the character with an earnest belief in and understanding of the importance of public performance.
Idris Elba is an effective straight man, giving Cena’s earnest idiot someone to ground him. Priyanka Chopra makes a solid case as an action protagonist. Without this trio, this movie would be a snooze.
The action is solid but the interplay between the leads is what keeps the movie alive.
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