Heads of State (2025) is directed by Ilya Naishuller, featuring a screenplay by Josh Appalbaum, Andre Nemec, and Harrison Query. It stars Idris Elba, John Cena, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Paddy Considine, Carla Gugino, Stephen Root, Jack Quaid, Sarah Niles, Richard Coyle, Alexander Kuznetsov, Katrina Durden, and Sharlto Copley. When the U.K. Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Elba) reluctantly agrees to catch a flight on Air Force One with former film star-turned-U.S. President, Will Derringer (Cena), the two immediately butt heads. However, they’re forced to put their differences aside when they’re shot down over enemy territory by international arms dealer Viktor Gradov (Considine). Stranded and presumed dead, the two world leaders embark on a desperate trek to return home and thwart a global conspiracy. 

 The performances from Elba and Cena, as well as their characters’ dynamic, feel familiar, to say the least. Thankfully, the two have some surprisingly strong chemistry. Their characters work as effective foils for one another, both emulating different things we admire and despise about politicians. While Elba felt immediately well-suited as the overly-serious U.K. Prime Minister, I wasn’t initially sold on the idea of John Cena as the jolly U.S. President. However, he brings a certain down-to-earth authenticity to the role. This, along with my remembering I was born into a Jesse Ventura-governed Minnesota, eventually sold me on his casting. The film’s also smart to never treat these two as Rambo-esque action heroes. Sure, they kick a little more ass than I’d ever expect from a real-life world leader, but it’s still made clear that they’re in over their heads. 

This is often a loud, overly expensive streaming release that follows the same template as many other scientifically tested, ‘appeal to everyone’ action-adventure comedies released in the last decade. It takes itself too seriously to work as a comedy, and it’s too silly to work as an exciting action film. Thankfully, it’s one of the better movies that suffer from these issues. Director Ilya Naishuller of Hardcore Henry (2015) & Nobody (2021) brings a kinetic sense of forward momentum to the otherwise forgettable action sequences. No matter the cliche it gets, there’s always a protruding sense of fast-paced fun.

What worked for me here is the way the script utilizes our anxieties/fears about real-world leaders to establish these two as heroes. They display exactly what we hate about our real situation, but are heroic despite those flaws. It’s the perfect fantasy I needed at the moment, giving the film that extra element it needed to be memorable. 

Overall, this is yet another formulaic action-comedy released by a major streaming platform. However, it works as one of the more enjoyable versions of this kind of studio-mandated sludge. This is primarily due to the fun premise, energetic direction, and charming chemistry between the two leads. It’s dumb, familiar, but fun. Sometimes, that’s all you can ask for in a movie like this. Still, I’m not desperately urging anyone to add it to their watchlist. It’s just an ‘ok’ film, to be honest. Nothing more, nothing less. C+