PG-13 | 1h 56m | Comedy, Drama, Action | 2025

While it might be obvious, the not-so-secret recipe for success in the “mismatched buddy action comedy” subgenre is casting oil alongside water. A jokester and a straight man. Emotional and intellectual opposites. Based on these criteria, Idris Elba and John Cena are a perfect mismatch.

However, this coupling ultimately falters simply because Elba is a superb actor and Cena is not.

A still active “professional” wrestler, Cena’s march towards movie stardom began in 2001 and hasn’t let up. Thoroughly adhering to the Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. the Rock) playbook, Cena (so far) hasn’t strayed out of his action-comedy lane, and it has served him well. This is largely due to Cena’s choices of appearing on-screen with other performers that share his limited range and shallow depth.

A Simple Premise

Helmed by Russian director Ilya Naishuller, “Heads of State” is as generic as a movie can get and is a far cry from his first two features (“Hardcore Henry” and “Nobody”). Penned by a committee of three (a big red flag), the movie contains all of the expected action-adventure beats and sports some major high-end visuals.

The premise is initially simple and to the point. Cena plays Will Derringer, a former movie star who is now the U.S. president. Elba stars as Sam Clarke, the current British Prime Minster who is immune to Derringer’s star appeal and pedestrian charms.

Before the leads even make their entrance, we meet Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), a senior MI6 agent posing as a reporter covering the annual La Tomatina festival in Spain. Bisset and her crew, in tandem with the CIA, are there to capture Russian terrorist Viktor Gradov (Paddy Considine).

Gradov is aware of the MI6 presence, so he pulls off an elaborate ruse and escapes. It’s as intricate and clever as anything seen in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. On the downside, we won’t see the Noel character again until the one-hour mark.

Enter Quaid

Prior to a NATO summit in Italy, Derringer heads to London for a quick PR photo op with Clarke, who can barely mask his disdain. From there, the leaders board Air Force One, which is attacked midflight. Derringer and Clarke escape and parachute into Croatia. After two time-wasting scenes, they find their way into Poland, where they rendezvous with Marty (Jack Quaid).

Exuding the same goofy, big grin charm he exhibited throughout “Novocaine,” Quaid’s Marty is an over-caffeinated millennial version of Gene Hackman’s character in “Enemy of the State.”

An expert at encryption technology, Marty is armed to the teeth and all but worships Derringer, much to Clarke’s chagrin. Save for a teaser stinger in the closing credits, Quaid is only in this single scene, which is less than 10 minutes long. He makes the most of every second of it. The same can be said for Jonas in the entire second half.

Miss World

Currently the most popular and highest-paid actress in India, Jonas (the wife of Nick of the Jonas Brothers) is probably best known in the West for being the winner of the 2000 Miss World beauty pageant.

Thoroughly luminous and projecting radiant star quality, Jonas has it all; beauty, brains, talent, understated elegance, and measured, assured confidence. It’s easy to understand why Jonas is so revered and admired in her homeland. Stateside producers and filmmakers would be wise to consider her for any and all future productions.

As villains go, Considine’s Gradov is, well, not all that threatening. Had this been a James Bond movie from the 1960s, Gradov might have been more imposing and sinister. But by today’s standards, he’s a bit mild and hamstrung.

Much the same can be said for U.S. Vice President Elizabeth Kirk (Carla Gugino). An underappreciated actress with great range, Cugino is given next to nothing to do.

PG-13 Versus R

In Gugino and Considine’s defense, the PG-13 rating greatly limits what their characters can do or say. To me, the PG-13 rating doesn’t make much sense here as it’s online only and not susceptible to the financial side effects that often hinder theatrical “R” rated movies.

The idea of an actor playing a fictional president in an action movie isn’t anything new. Think Harrison Ford in “Air Force One,” Bill Pullman in “Independence Day,” and Morgan Freeman in both “Deep Impact” and the three “Has Fallen” movies.

There are dozens of other far more talented actors who could have played Derringer better than Cena in this movie. He’s not funny, has zero range, and he brings down every movie he’s in.

The film is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

‘Heads of State’
Director: Ilya Naishuller
Stars: Idris Elba, John Cena, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jack Quaid
Running Time: 1 hour, 56 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: July 2, 2025
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

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