Action stars butt heads as world leaders in ‘buddy cop’ comedy
Directed by: Ilya Naishuller
Written by: Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec & Harrison Query
Starring: Idris Elba, John Cena, Priyanka Chopra
Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence/action, language, and some smoking
Release Date: July 2, 2025
Runtime: 1:56
This review may contain spoilers
Mixing expectations
Back in 2021, Director Ilya Naishuller released Nobody. If you didn’t see it, Bob Odenkirk (AMC’s Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul) is a regular everyman who was actually a retired assassin, John-Wick-style. Odenkirk wasn’t the type you’d expect for a badass ass kicker, but he still beat the literal hell out of some bad guys.
Now Naishuller’s Heads of State pits not one but two action stars in unexpected non-badass roles – presidents and prime ministers. They still kick ass, though.
Commanders in Beef
John Cena (The Suicide Squad and HBO’s Peacemaker) stars as William M. Derringer (initials actually spell out WMD), a former movie star now the President of the United States (yes, really). Idris Elba (BBC’s Luther) plays Sam Clarke, the UK Prime Minister, who is more grounded in politics and takes his position more seriously.
Both “heads of state” survive an attempted assassination on Air Force One and are now on the run from mercenaries and traitors within their own government. They must rely on each other to uncover an international conspiracy to dismantle the current world order… if they don’t kill each other first.
Side note: Yes, I’m aware Great Britain’s prime ministers cannot be an actual “head of state” in their country, but it’s in the movie title.
“Who’s the action hero now, huh?”
Elba and Cena worked as bitter rivals to each other, much like they did in The Suicide Squad. Their “buddy cop” dynamic, bickering with each other, is the major highlight of the film. It adds comedic breathing room between the fight scenes.
Priyanka Chopra (ABC’s Quantico) is a surprise badass and steals the scene when she shows up. I’ve never seen her stuff before, but now I’m way more interested in Citadel and Quantico after watching her really kick ass. More of her, please!
Hardcore Nobody director
Naishuller brings back the same fighting seen in Nobody and Hardcore Henry. The fights have brutal and well-timed executions, sometimes with absurd timing for hilarious results.
One moment, the bad guys crash their car while shooting their grenade launchers, which triggers the airbags and makes them accidentally fire a round inside the car. Or bad guys blasting the blast door into a safe room, which gets bounced back by a claymore booby-trap right into the bad guys. Or the entire car chase where Derringer poorly fights off bad guys in a special presidential vehicle (called the Beast).
Interesting that Naishuller isn’t returning in Nobody 2, which is coming out this year, but he is working on Roadhouse 2 (he didn’t direct the first one).
“It’s a long story”
Twice, when someone shows up surprisingly, instead of a long explanation, we get these creative montages. No dialogue, just showing characters traveling, finding information, and catching up in rapid, short cuts.
I love it. It’s very Edgar Wright.
This movie got my vote
Heads of State is so dumb, it’s fun. It’s an action comedy with over-the-top violence that you’d expect in a crazy video game. And damn is it rewarding!
Idris Elba and John Cena play off each other as reluctant feuding partners as if they were in a “buddy cop” movie (or “buddy politics” movie, in this case). The same kind of chemistry is there, but I’ve never seen it at a “world leader” level. Priyanka Chopra and a surprise appearance from Jack Quaid (from Amazon Prime’s own The Boys) add to the fun and make this movie a fun watch.
It’s better to watch it without taking it too seriously, I mean, the President of the United States is a former action movie star. If you go in knowing that and still expect a serious movie, you’ve already lost.
Heads of State is streaming on Amazon Prime.
