Heads of State is a buddy movie with two charming stars, John Cena and Idris Elba, that takes place all over the world. It will be available on Prime Video on July 2, 2025. Ilya Naishuller, who is known for his kinetic and stylized films like Hardcore Henry and Nobody, directed the movie. It mixes political intrigue with slapstick humor and big explosions. Heads of State is a 1 hour and 53 minute movie that stars Cena as U.S. President Will Derringer and Elba as U.K. Prime Minister Sam Clarke. They are two world leaders who have to work together after a terrorist attack brings down Air Force One. With a great cast that includes Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jack Quaid, Paddy Considine, Stephen Root, and Carla Gugino, the movie tries to find the sweet spot between the high-stakes action of Air Force One and the buddy-cop banter of Rush Hour. Heads of State doesn’t change the genre, but it has enough charm, laughs, and thrills to make it a good popcorn movie. However, its inconsistent tone and missed chances to make fun of things keep it from being great.
A wild ride through a global conspiracy is what the plot is about.
Heads of State is about two unlikely people: Will Derringer, a former action movie star who is now the U.S. President (Cena), and Sam Clarke, a British politician and former Special Air Service operative (Elba). Their public feud, which hurts the “special relationship” between the U.S. and the U.K., takes a back seat when a Russian arms dealer named Viktor Gradov (Considine) plans a terrorist attack that brings down Air Force One and leaves the leaders stuck in Belarus. They have to depend on each other to stay alive, and MI6 agent Noel Bisset (Chopra Jonas) joins them. He has a tough personality and a history with Clarke. The three go on an international adventure, avoiding assassins, dealing with betrayals, and finding a global plot that threatens NATO and the free world.
Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, and Harrison Query wrote the story, which is full of action-comedy tropes. It’s a funny movie that knows it’s funny and doesn’t try to be a serious political thriller. People have compared it to buddy-cop movies from the 1980s and 1990s like Lethal Weapon and Tango & Cash. Some critics say it’s “flat-out insulting to the viewer’s intelligence” because it relies too much on clichés and is too predictable. The film’s tongue-in-cheek tone and over-the-top situations, like a chase stopping for nuns to cross themselves, make fun of its silliness, making it a fun but forgettable ride. The story’s weakest part is its huge conspiracy, which becomes too complicated with too many twists, especially in the third act, where CGI-heavy scenes and confusing plot turns slow down the action.
The Cast: Cena and Elba Are the Best
The best thing about the movie is its main actors. John Cena is great as Will Derringer, a celebrity who becomes president and uses his Water Cobra action-hero persona to boost his public image. Cena plays the “meathead with a heart of gold” role well, using cheesy one-liners and self-deprecating charm. His performance reminds me of Schwarzenegger’s bigger-than-life roles, but some critics say that his dialogue isn’t sharp enough to fully land the jokes. Idris Elba plays Sam Clarke, a brooding, sarcastic character who is the straight man with a dry sense of humor that goes well with Cena’s energy. Their chemistry, which they learned in The Suicide Squad, is the movie’s beating heart. Their banter, which has been compared to modern-day Laurel and Hardy or Lemmon and Matthau, makes even the weaker scenes work. Their relationship changes from hating each other to reluctantly becoming friends, which adds just the right amount of emotional weight to hold the chaos together.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas gives a great performance as Noel Bisset, a tough MI6 agent who can handle herself in high-stakes fight scenes. Her first scene at Spain’s La Tomatina festival, which mixes tomato-fueled chaos with bloodshed, shows off her physicality and screen presence. Some critics say she’s a real action star, but others wish her role had more depth than just puns and punches. The supporting cast adds a lot to the movie. Jack Quaid’s CIA agent Marty Comer steals scenes with his funny timing, especially in a shootout at a safe house that shows how he’s becoming an action star. Paddy Considine’s bad guy, on the other hand, seems underused and doesn’t have a clear reason for being a threat. Stephen Root and Carla Gugino are good, but they don’t get enough screen time because the leads are so famous.
Action and Direction: Naishuller’s Kinetic Style
One of the best things about Ilya Naishuller’s direction is that he brings his trademark high-energy style to the action scenes. The set pieces are smooth and creative, like a tense train chase and a bulletproof-limo showdown set to Mötley Crüe’s “Kickstart My Heart.” Critics say that the limo fight, which includes explosions, bazookas, and Cena’s funny timing, is one of the best action scenes of the year. Naishuller’s moving camera work and editing keep the energy up, but some scenes, like a fight in a village, go on for too long or rely too much on slapstick. Ben Davis’s cinematography keeps the comic-book look, but the flat lighting and heavy use of green screens sometimes show that the streaming budget isn’t very high.
The action is great, but the comedy is hit or miss. Naishuller puts a lot of references to ’90s action movies in the movie, like a Roger Moore-style pause for humor, but jokes like characters accidentally setting themselves on fire don’t work. The script has a hard time balancing harsh violence with funny banter, which makes the tone change too quickly. Some critics say that the movie’s self-aware silliness—admitting that its premise is silly—helps it avoid some criticism. However, the humor often relies on old stereotypes about culture clashes instead of sharp wit.
Reception: Some Good and Some Bad
Heads of State has gotten mixed reviews, with a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 57/100 on Metacritic. This shows that it has gotten a “mixed or average” reception. People who like it say it has a “stupid fun” and “fizzy, kid-friendly” vibe, which is similar to action-comedies from the past. People on X agree with this, saying things like “cheesy AF and cliché, but in all the best ways” and “a good old-fashioned action comedy.” Collider said it was one of Prime Video’s most popular movies, with 75 million viewers around the world, showing how popular it is.
But critics point out its flaws. IGN says the “average slapstick humor” is bad, and The Indian Express says it’s “brainless fare” that “leaks out of your ears.” The Hindu says it doesn’t have enough political bite, even though the premise could be used for satire. The movie hints at commentary on celebrity culture and tensions between the US and Europe, but it doesn’t go into much detail because it wants to be entertaining. Some people like that the show doesn’t have a lot of politics, with one IMDb user calling it “refreshing” for not being too political. Others, though, wanted more of Armando Iannucci’s sharp satire.
Themes and Tone: Did You Miss a Chance to Be Funny?
Heads of State flirts with political satire by making fun of America’s obsession with celebrities (Derringer’s Trump-like rise) and British elitism, but it never really goes there. Its message of unity and institutional continuity feels like an afterthought, lost in the explosions and jokes. The villain’s plan to destabilize NATO by leaking political dirt sounds like it could happen in real life, but the way it’s done is too cartoonish to be believable. The movie’s self-aware tone, which admits that it’s not believable, makes it a “perfect summer movie” for getting away from it all, but it feels empty because it doesn’t go deeper.
Final Decision: Fun with Popcorn, but Needs Work
Heads of State is an action-comedy that isn’t perfect but is still fun to watch. It relies on the charm of Cena, Elba, and Chopra Jonas to make a boring script more interesting. Naishuller’s exciting direction and memorable set pieces are fun, but the movie isn’t great because the tone is off, the humor is weak, and the plot is too full. You should watch it with low expectations and a big bowl of popcorn. Variety said that it’s “not any sillier than big-studio superhero fare,” so it’s a good choice for a fun, mindless night in. According to Nielsen, audiences are clearly along for the ride with 1.1 billion minutes of watch time. If you like the chemistry between Cena and Elba, you have to see this movie, but don’t expect it to stick with you after the credits roll.
Three out of five stars
