The thing that I found the hardest to believe in the action-comedy Heads of State, is the idea that the U.S. President could be compassionate, universally liked and form complete and coherent sentences. But I guess that says more about the reality of the world we live in than the film itself.

Heads of State, streaming on Prime, is a fun film that features Idris Elba, John Cena and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Elba plays UK Prime Minister, Sam Clarke, Cena is President Will Derringer, and Jonas is an extremely proficient field agent, Noel Bisset, who also just happens to have a romantic past with Sam.

Derringer is new to his presidency, transitioning from Hollywood blockbusters to the political arena. He’s popular and beloved. Clarke is in his sixth year, and is bit embattled. They both have their reasons for committing to public service, something they both know is bigger than themselves (that’s a nice idea to remember).

But someone out there, oligarch and arms dealer, Viktor Gradov (Paddy Considine), wants them both dead, and wants to tear apart NATO.

Using people on the inside, he is able to bring down Air Force One, and everyone presumes the two heads of state, who aren’t too keen on each other, are dead. But they survived, will have to make it across Europe all the way to Trieste, to keep NATO from falling apart and stop Gradov and his lackeys (Stephen Root among them!).

What follows is a fun action film that gets its comedy more from the interactions between Elba and Cena than silly situations. Sure there are fight sequences that have a little comedic flair, but overall, the action is played straight, and the comedy comes from the developing buddy nature of the relationship.

That’s not to say there isn’t lots of comedy to be mined. Watch for a fun appearance by Jack Quaid! But overall, the film, such as it is, plays things straight. Well as straight as a big-budget action flick can be.

I found it to be fast-paced, and entertaining. Both Elba and Cena have the ability to balance action and comedy in their performances and line delivery, and there’s a really nice chemistry between them. Throw in Jonas’ Noel, who can kick all manner of ass, and you can buckle up and enjoy yourself.

It’s fun, loud, and points out that it’s always better to say you’re Canadian when you travel instead of American. Everybody loves us.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. I was dubious initially, but it’s shot well, looks great (except for a couple of moments of shoddy visual effects work – the truck explosion near the beginning stands out), and ends up being an enjoyable ride – a solid popcorn movie.