Heads of State: Is It Fun To Watch?

Heads of State (2025/USA) is a unique kind of buddy movie from Hollywood. In this action comedy, the two heads of state, the UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) and the U.S. President Will Derringer (John Cena), join hands to expose a major treason plot to assassinate both of them by their powerful foes.

Moreover, the presence of the third buddy, MI6 agent Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), adds a fascinating sub-plot twist in this buddy tale. All three of them, Sam, Will and Noel, must forget their complicated differences of the past. As the circumstances forced them to work together to defeat their unknown enemies.

In the United Kingdom (UK), the head of state is the King, not the UK Prime Minister. So, the title of the movie seemed to be a misnomer.

“Heads of State” – A Hollywood Popcorn Flick With A Predictable Tale But It Is Still Fun To Watch

Spoiler Free Review of the Heads of State (2025/USA) Movie

The introduction

In this day and age of ‘Russian-bashing’ by the Western world, the movie writers, Harrison Query, Josh Appelbaum, and André Nemec, have written a refreshing screenplay. So, Russia is the usual patsy in today’s geopolitical environment. Especially, when something goes with the elected heads of the UK and the USA. However, these writers have played smart. There are enough surprising twists and turns to keep the viewers engaged. Additionally, the film director Ilya Naishuller (who directed the 2021 movie, Nobody, in the past) has used his skills to deliver an entertaining action comedy.

Idris & John play the unconventional buddies

Notably, this Hollywood action film features a reunion of British actor Idris Elba and American actor John Cena. These two international stars had previously starred together in The Suicide Squad (2021) movie in like situations, where their characters are required to work in unison to neutralise deadly threats.

So, in this slick thriller, John portrays the USA President Will Derringer, while Idris plays the UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke. Once again, this pair of unusual buddies is shown to be bickering most of the time. Not amusingly, both of them take a lot of verbal potshots at each other. The sharp exchange of words among these two hunks, John and Idris, adds undeniable comedic elements to this film. Thus, this light-hearted film smartly uses dialogue to bring out the British humour versus the American humour to the fore.

Check, for instance, a funny dialogue from the movie, shared here.

Speaking in a mockingly British accent, Will Derringer said, "What do you Brits know about slogans anyway?"

Then, answering back to his original American accent, Will Derringer replied, "Keep calm and carry on."

Will Derringer remarked, "You know, that-that's actually like saying, 'Do nothing and continue to do nothing,' right?"

Priyanka plays the saviour of these two buddies

The desi-girl Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays the kick-ass MI6 agent, Noel Bisset, who shares a colourful past with the UK PM Sam Clarke. And, she arrives just in time to rescue the two heroes, as someone powerful wishes to assassinate them. So, one cannot underestimate her impactful role, despite her shorter screen time. All three leading stars, Idris, John and Priyanka, not only looked impressive in the physically demanding action sequences, but they also landed their funny one-liner jokes admirably. Sharing another playful exchange of words between the two buddies.

Sam Clarke: Puns are for simple people.
Will Derringer: I love puns.
Sam Clarke: My point exactly.

Also, check out the action-packed scene - Heads of State First 5 Minutes of Priyanka Chopra and others| Prime Video on YouTube

The conclusion

This kind of cast diversity in Hollywood production is indeed a good sign, and perhaps a smart move in today’s globalisation era. More so, when the streaming platforms are making sure that the movie (and series) can reach a global audience easily. We like it despite its flaws. So, it was an entertaining time-pass film.

FM Rating

FM Rating of the Heads of State

3.40/5

Poster

Idris Elba and John Cena have both been involved in the Fast and Furious movie franchise, though they did not share the screen in the same movies. Each played the lead antagonist - Idris in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and John in F9: The Fast Saga (2021) movies. John returned to his role in the sequel Fast X (2023) movie as one of the protagonists. Moreover, this is the first time Priyanka Chopra and John Cena have worked in the same movie. On the other hand, both Priyanka and Idris have lent their voices to the key characters in the 2016 animated movie, The Jungle Book.  

Key Details

Genre	Action, Comedy, Thriller
Original Language	English (USA & UK)
Duration	1 Hour 56 Minutes
Writers	Harrison Query, Josh Appelbaum, & André Nemec
Director	Ilya Naishuller
Music Composer	Steven Price
Cinematographer	Ben Davis
Editor	Tom Harrison-Read
Main Cast	Idris Elba (Sam Clarke), John Cena (Will Derringer), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Noel Bisset), Carla Gugino (VP Elizabeth Kirk), Paddy Considine (Viktor Gradov), Stephen Root (Arthur Hammond), Jack Quaid (Marty Comer), Sarah Niles (Simone Bradshaw), Richard Coyle (Quincy Harrington), Alexander Kuznetsov (Sasha/the Killer), Katrina Durden (Olga/the Killer), etc.
Production Co	Amazon MGM Studios, The Safran Company, & Big Indie Pictures
Distributor	Prime Video

Trailer & Synopsis | Official

Two heads are better than one.

In the action-comedy Heads of State, UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) and U.S. President Will Derringer (John Cena) have a public rivalry that jeopardises their countries' "special relationship." But when they become targets of a ruthless foreign adversary, they must set aside their differences and begrudgingly rely on each other. After being shot down in Air Force One, Clarke and Derringer are forced to go on a dangerous, multinational run pursued by enemies intent on killing them. With the help of MI6 agent Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), they must work together to thwart a global conspiracy that threatens the free world.

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Poster and Featured Image of the Heads of State are credited to Prime Video.