Movie Review: Heads of State

What got me into Heads of State wasn’t the plot or even the promise of action—it was the casting. When I saw that Idris Elba and John Cena were teaming up in a movie about two powerful world leaders caught in an international conspiracy, I knew I had to watch. Something about the seriousness of Elba and the goofball charisma of Cena made me curious. I wanted to see how they’d blend those two very different energies into one movie—and whether it would work or just crash and burn.

The film begins with a NATO summit where Clarke (Elba) and Derringer (Cena) are seen in a tense face off in front of the entire world on energy policy. In a few minutes, there is a twist in the plot: Air Force One is shot down as a result of an unknown attack. Driven to cooperate by the need to survive on alien territory, they find out that they are being targeted by a conspiracy that wants to kill NATO, a plot organised by an arms dealer and a disloyal vice president. They have the help of MI6 agent Noel Bisset (Chopra Jonas) to lead them through, and the result is a tense game of action, comedy, and half-willing diplomacy.

Elba adds gravity and calm leadership to Clarke. Cena, in turn, falls back on his charisma and his sense of comic timing as the action star turned president. Their repartee, banter, jibes, cultural bon mots, were easy and absorbing. They are warm enough to keep you hooked even when in tension.

The thing that impressed me the most about watching was not necessarily the story, which is a fairly standard buddy-cop/ action-comedy formula, but the way that the film managed to strike a balance between humor and a little bit of sincerity that made me actually care. It comes to a point where Clarke admits that he has been disappointed with power and then there is a scene where Derringer speaks of how he was raised and how he was taught to act strong before he ever felt strong himself. These silent thoughts are more painful than I had thought. They helped me understand that there was something behind all the pandemonium and joking, and the movie was attempting to speak on the theme of leadership, trust, and vulnerability.

That being said, the spectacle in the film is nevertheless not in short supply. Explosions, high-speed chases, comic disguises the movie Heads of State is the embracer of the absurd. But still that absurdity does not seem to mock the audience. Rather it challenges us to have fun in the road. The direction is glossy, the action sequences are sharp, and the pace is tight enough to not even once look at the time. There is one scene in particular (the one in which the two protagonists disguise themselves to get into a villainous gala) that is so cartoonish and silly and so endearing at the same time that I found myself laughing out loud.

When it comes to performances, I was surprised by John Cena. He has always been a funny guy when it comes to acting, but in this character, he struck a very nice balance between the comic relief and getting to demonstrate a bit of depth as well. The transformation of his character, who is all bark, into a character who learned how to be diplomatic brought an element that made me care. Idris Elba, as usual, added a serious weight and style to his character, but the part that really struck me was that he managed to play it to the comedic beats without much of his authority going away. Their mismatched energy as an odd couple took the whole film.

And Priyanka Chopra Jonas was a force, of course. She was not an eye candy or a background character, but she had her agency, purpose, and some of the best one-liners in the film. She added some kind of depth to the proceedings and helped to make the film a little less goofy at the moments it would have turned into this.

I do not want to claim the movie was perfect now. Others of the jokes are not hitting. Some of the plots are predictable. And the bad guy, though threatening, is somewhat two-dimensional. However, in truth, none of that spoiled the experience to me. Heads of State is not trying to do something new. It is well aware of the type of movie it is: a light, quick action-comedy with some heart to it. It gives exactly that.

I was surprised to note that I thought a lot after the watching. The concept that two world leaders, who are diametrically opposite in personality and ideology, are destined to be coerced into co-existing and in the process learn to understand and respect each other… it resonated. It left me wondering how disunified our world is nowadays. Perhaps, we do not need more strength or power, but empathy. Perhaps we should be told more such stories that will remind us of the strength of just listening to a person who does not look like you.

I also liked the unobtrusive message of the film about the burden of the image. Both Clarke and Derringer have been confined to the role they are supposed to play; stoic intellectual vs. loud American cowboy, but when these roles are taken away, the two men are left with nothing but two human beings with insecurities, regrets, and hopes. When they began to regard one another as humans instead of enemies is when the true story starts. And I believe that this is what made Heads of State more than a laugh-out-loud ride.

The film is not a severe satire on geopolitics. There are So if you’re in the mood for something fun yet thoughtful, fast-paced yet character-driven, Heads of State is worth your time. It’s not just about two powerful men escaping a conspiracy—it’s about how power means nothing without humanity.

Thumbnail is designed by me on pixelLab and other images are screenshot from the movie