Images Courtesy of: Prime Video via Premier PR
Review By Jon Donnis
There's a moment early on in Heads of State where Idris Elba's British Prime Minister and John Cena's US President nearly come to blows in a very expensive room. It's petty, ridiculous, and almost cartoonish in its energy. That moment is the clearest signal of what kind of film you're watching. It isn't aiming for sharp satire or political commentary. It just wants to entertain, and most of the time, it does exactly that.
Directed by Ilya Naishuller, the film runs on the not-so-subtle idea of what would happen if world leaders had to go full action hero to save the day. Elba plays Sam Clarke with all the clipped control you'd expect from a career politician, while Cena leans hard into the brash charisma of Will Derringer, a movie star turned President who seems only half aware that he's now running a country. They're mismatched in every way, which of course makes them the perfect accidental team once disaster strikes.
The setup is broad but efficient. Following a disastrous PR stunt meant to fix their icy public dynamic, Clarke and Derringer end up marooned behind enemy lines after an attack on Air Force One. Suddenly it's not just about keeping up appearances. It's about staying alive long enough to uncover the real threat and stop it from spiralling into something far worse.
From there, the film barrels across Europe, taking in dingy safehouses, chaotic train journeys, and glossy summits. Naishuller keeps the action moving at a steady pace, peppering in enough gadgets, betrayals, and explosions to stop things from going stale. Some of the set pieces feel deliberately over the top, but the performances keep everything grounded just enough to stay watchable. Elba and Cena have great timing together, flipping between mutual irritation and unlikely respect with ease.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas adds sharpness as Noel Bisset, the MI6 agent stuck trying to babysit the two of them while cleaning up the mess. Her role isn't just there for exposition or moral grounding either. She gets her own moments of impact, including a couple of standout fight scenes that don't waste time showing how capable she is.
Visually, the film does a lot with its budget. The locations feel varied and textured, and the pace rarely stalls for long. That said, the runtime could have used a trim. Just past the halfway point, there's a noticeable lull where the momentum threatens to sag under the weight of convoluted double-crosses and backstory. A tighter cut might have made the whole thing feel sharper.
There are also one or two moments where the CGI doesn't quite hold up under scrutiny, particularly during an early crash sequence. But these blips don't derail things. The tone is light enough, and the stakes exaggerated enough, that the odd visual stumble can be forgiven.
What's more interesting is the way the film flirts with the idea of leadership and ego, even if it never digs deep. Clarke and Derringer aren't heroes in the traditional sense, but they are men who have to work out, very quickly, what it means to be responsible when there's no one left to blame. That thread never takes centre stage, but it lingers in the background, adding a little depth to all the banter and bullets.
Heads of State isn't trying to reinvent anything. It's a fast-moving, character-driven buddy film wrapped in a globe-trotting political thriller. The laughs are frequent, the chemistry is strong, and the pace mostly holds. There are a few out of place anti Trump references, for example the bad guy is the America First idea, and of course Globalism will save the day, just ignore that nonsense that really felt shoehorned in to keep some Amazon higher ups happy.
I'd call it a solid 8.5 out of 10.
Out Now on Prime Video - https://amzn.to/44reO0N
