After exhibiting his penchant for continuous violent motion and common mayhem in his first two R-rated movies, 2015’s 96-minute Hardcore Henry and 2021’s Bob Odenkirk-starring 92-minute Nobody (getting a sequel later this 12 months), director Ilya Naishuller proves these characteristic movie debuts had been no accident. His third flick, Heads of State, which regardless of the enticing pairing of John Cena and Idris Elba, is solely extra of the identical, however tamed down sufficient to one way or the other earn a PG-13 with a bloated operating time of 113 mind- numbing minutes. This one is skipping theatrical and headed straight to streaming on Amazon Prime the place it possible will discover an keen international viewers of sofa dwellers ravenous for a movie filled with explosions, chases, and stuntmen being paid additional time. Knock yourselves out.
The premise is relatively credibility-stretching proper from the beginning with Cena enjoying a recently-elected U.S. President Will Derringer with a sunny outlook and a previous solely as an A-list movie star recognized for his motion movies like franchise Water Cobra. Elba is the considerably beleaguered British Prime Minister Sam Clarke, who’s a severe chief underwater within the polls however nonetheless lately re-elected over a candidate supported by Derringer. As we meet them forward of a NATO gathering in Trieste Italy it’s clear they’re at odds in seemingly each manner, however to place face on worldwide relations they agree it could be a sensible thought to maybe arrive collectively through a brief flight in Derringer’s Air Force One jet.
However dangerous guys are out to get each and enact a covert plot to dissove NATO and all the great it does for the world. Thus, the aircraft is principally hijacked by a man posing as a waiter, killing safety, and making an attempt to do the identical to those two leaders who battle again more durable than Harrison Ford ever did, however within the course of, the aircraft begins to return aside and each Clarke and Derringer parachute out simply earlier than the entire thing explodes. Back dwelling they’re regarded as lifeless and Vice President Elizabeth Kirk takes the oath of workplace.
Not so quick, as a result of in comical trend, Derringer is caught hanging from a tree, and Clarke has to climb it to assist him out. Now the 2 should one way or the other be taught to get alongside as they try to search out their manner out of this mess, and shortly to assist them comes MI6 agent Noel Bissett (Priyanka Chopra Jonas). who because it seems. additionally had a factor with Clarke when each had been arising within the forces. What they have to do is get to a disguised CIA protected home known as the Golden Mountain Mining Company which they handle to do after failing to scorching wire a automotive on a farm and touchdown in a automobile accompanied by a bunch of sheep. At the protected home they meet the keen and lone agent on responsibility, Marty Comer (Jack Quaid) who’s thrilled to have the ability to shield these highly effective males along with his boatload of imposing weaponry and helpful devices to fend off these dangerous guys scorching on their path, the primary one being probably the most needed Viktor Gradov (Paddy Considine) who is set to get them earlier than they get him and his henchman Arthur Hammond (Stephen Root).
In a journey that traverses many international locations throughout Europe from England to France to Italy to Serbia (doubling for Belarus), it’s a wild experience all the best way as they attempt to get again to civilization and their day jobs, to a unending climax, because the unpenetrable Presidential car generally known as The Beast is the goal of a chase all through the winding roads of Italy the place NATO is about to return aside.
The movie does have a promising action-packed starting set in Bunol, Spain through the annual Tomatino Festival the place it seems all the city is having the time of their lives. Literally lined in 20 tons of tomatoes, it’s a sea of purple during which the citizenry slimes round, and the place we first meet Noel who’s on to the scent of Gradov when she will get sidelined by the rotten tomatoes (an ideal metaphor for this jacked streaming attraction’s possible important future).
Cena and Elba each met once they co-starred in Suicide Squad and hit it off so nicely they needed to work collectively once more, on the lookout for simply the best script to indicate off their chemistry. Unfortunately they received Heads of State as an alternative, a wit-starved script by Josh Applebaum & Andre Nemec and Harrison Query (who got here up with the idea of a mismatched odd couple of world leaders). In between the predictable and cutesy dialogue with Cena and Elba buying and selling barbs, we discover each such in a position actors with a aptitude for comedy and motion tasked with making an attempt to make any of this plausible or remotely recognizably human. As the Presidents, Elba reverting again to his army coaching and Cena demonstrating his stuntman did all of the work in his movies earlier than he turned President, are thrust into one harmful scenario after one other with loud and ludicrous shoot-outs at each flip. And we are supposed to consider nobody is aware of the place they’re?
Naishuller by no means slows the relentless tempo and clearly is making an attempt to recall the buddy movies of the 80’s or 90’s like 48 Hours, Lethal Weapon, and most notably the king of the style, Midnight Run, however these all made time for character improvement. Heads of State is solely considering burning the entire thing down, doing its stars no service, and letting the explosions and gunplay take heart stage in a movie the place action-to-the-max is our filmmaker’s mantra.
Producers are Peter Safran and John Rickard.
Title: Heads of State
Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios
Release Date: July 2, 2025
Director: Ilya Naishuller
Screenplay: Josh Applebaum & Andro Nemec and Harrison Query
Cast: John Cena, Idris Elba, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jack Quaid, Carla Gugino, Paddy Considine, Stephen Root, Sarah Niles, Richard Coyle
Rating: PG13
Running time: 1 hr 53 min
Content Source: deadline.com