A One Mann’s Movies review of “Heads of State” (2025, 3.5*, 12).
This Amazon Prime offering is definitely NOT going to get any Oscar buzz. But as a mindless, park-your-brain-at-the-door action comedy it has a kooky charm and some genuinely nice touches. It also is another example of a US President portrayed as someone more presidential than the current incumbent… and given he is played by John Cena, that is really saying something!
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
Special forces are after the evil Russian arms dealer Viktor Gradov. But after their team is ambushed and butchered, Gradov takes the fight to the world’s leaders by targeting the British Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) and the US President Will Derringer (John Cena).
Certification:
UK: 12; US: PG-13. (From the BBFC web site: “Language, violence, injury detail, threat.”)
Talent:
Starring: Idris Elba, John Cena, Paddy Considine, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Carla Gugino, Stephen Root, Jack Quaid, Sarah Niles.
Directed by: Ilya Naishuller.
Written by: Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec & Harrison Query. (Based on a story by Harrison Query.)
Running Time: 1h 56m.
Summary:
Positives:
- It’s the typical banal thriller hokum but with a very good natured twist.
- The banter between Elba, Cena and Chopra Jonas is entertaining.
- Paddy Considine has fun with his pantomime Russian villain.
- Some very funny ‘catch-up’ sequences.
Negatives:
- It falls into the “Die Hard 2” category of air crashes being real ‘downers’ (sic).
- Reality wise, it’s a film that doesn’t bear too much close analysis.
Full Review of “Heads of State”:
Ladies and Gentlemen, please park your brains at the door.
The big bucks streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video are very adept at churning out these glossy, low-intelligence thrillers with exotic locations. Recent examples – of varying quality – include “Red Notice“, “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” and “Lift“. This is really ‘more of the same’ but with an uplift of having the “Nobody” director, Ilya Naishuller, at the helm. (In fact, it was the scheduling conflict of this film that prevented Naishuller from directing “Nobody 2“.) Because there are flashes of “Nobody“-style innovative comedy moments into the film that lifts it out of the ‘ho-hum’ category into something a bit more entertaining.
For example, the opening ambush scene is not set in some random shoot-out in a Spanish piazza, but via a very well choreographed bust-up in the central square of Buñol during the annual ‘La Tomatina’ tomato fight. The juxtaposition of tomatoes and bloody carnage is well done.
And a scene where Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) reappears to describe, via a montage, where she’s been since being shot dead (not shot dead!) amidst the tomato purée is extremely funny and engaging. (Another ‘quick-fire catch-up’ montage for Sam Clarke later in the film tries to pull the same trick, but needed more run-time.)
These are just a few of the many amusing moments that meant that the film smashed a ‘six-big-smiles’ test, and it was also knocking on the door of the ‘six-laughs’ test.
Elba and Cena – a likeable duo.
The combination of Idris Elba and John Cena as the two bickering heads of state is an excellent match. Elba fits well into this genre of film and Cena is hilarious as the US President: he’s how you would imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger would be if were allowed to run for President. This is a duo that I could imagine returning for a reunion sequel, which would need to involve an even more unlikely plot!
For the ridiculous plot is arrant nonsense, pitching two world leaders into perilous situations that would make Keir Starmer and Donald Trump immediately soil themselves! They turn out to be remarkably well-equipped to deal with the armed combat! Although not as well-signposted as Viola Davis’s US President in the recent (and very similar) “G20“, there is some sort of untold backstory behind the character of Sam Clarke (Elba) in the fact that he and agent Bisset (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) used to be an item. This might explain some of his ‘special skills’. But Derringer (Cena) stands as much chance of surviving in these conditions as George Clooney or Brad Pitt!
Elsewhere in the cast, bouncing off Elba and Cena brilliantly, is Priyanka Chopra Jonas who really should be a bigger star (outside of Bollywood) than she is. She is genuinely personable and the screen lit up for me whenever she made an appearance. And Jack Quaid – who, what with “Companion“, is having a good year – is kookily fun as an off-the-wall supporting agent Marty Comer.
Paddy Considine is in his ‘villain’ era.
Paddy Considine has played loads of lovable everyman characters over the years, but seems to be, like Hugh Grant, entering his ‘villains’ era. Hot on the heels of playing a London gangster, in the entertaining comedy/thriller “Deep Cover“, here he is playing an even more evil Russian arms dealer. And he seems to be having the time of his life! In general, this was a film that I could have done with 50% more Considine content.
But crashed planes are not funny.
Where the film lost its footing a bit for me is with the downing of Air Force One, with the loss of all crew and passengers (except for our two heroes).
I had the same feeling here as with the awful Jumbo crash in “Die Hard 2” which left me thinking “well, this film is no fun at all” as John McClane picks up the burning doll that you saw some random 5-year-old girl playing with a few moments earlier.
In my book, the good guys can machine down almost as many baddie henchmen as they like in these sorts of films (within reason: some films (e.g. “A View To A Kill”) still go too far for my liking). But I find it a real downer to have such mass-loss-of-life for everyday innocents in what’s supposed to be a lightweight comedy/thriller. It seemed so unnecessary too: they could have just had Air Force One in grave danger with the secret service ordering the evacuation of the President and Prime Minister as the lesser of two risks.
Summary Thoughts:
A whole bunch of hokum, but this is undeniably entertaining hokum that – much to my surprise – I thoroughly enjoyed and would sit through again!
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J646zM7UM8.
Subscribe
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to One Mann’s Movies to receive future reviews by email right here. No salesman will call!
