Ronit J

Heads of State (2025) Synopsis:

When the U.K. Prime Minister and U.S. President become the targets of a foreign adversary, they’re forced to rely on one another to thwart a global conspiracy.

Heads of State (2025) Review:

Imagine a very stupid but very fun fan fic about two major world leaders who’re basically caricatures thrown into a John Wick-like absurd world and have to face off a global threat with their brawns more than their brains. That’s exactly what Heads of State is.

I originally dismissed this one because I thought it was a stupid mindless entertainer. Then I saw that Ilya Naishuller directed this film. Having loved his Biting Elbows music videos, Hardcore Henry, and Nobody, I decided to give this one a shot. At worst, it’d be a stupid mindless entertainer. At best, a stupid fun mindless entertainer.

So, what did I think of the film? Read on…

The film opens with MI6 Agent Noelle Bisset on a mission to catch Russian arms dealer Viktor Gradov. Sadly, the mission goes south and everyone is killed or declared MIA (Missing in Action). In the same mission, Arthur Hammond (Stephen Root) manages to gain access to ECHELON, a global surveillance program used by NATO’s and the Anglosphere’s intelligence alliance Five Eyes.

Cut to Sam Clarke (Idris Elba), the UK Prime Minister who’s on his morning run. A stickler for rules, fitness, and the overall betterment of the country, Sam is the ideal world leader; strong, decisive, disciplined, and deadly (when needed). US President Will Derringer, on the other hand, is a former action film hero with a ton of popularity who’s clearly the fish out of water in such a powerful position. A joint press conference brings them together, and an attempt to present their relationship as cordial and not-strained leads them into a chaotic adventure to survive.

Stupidly Simplistic, But Charmingly Funny

First off, this is not a masterpiece. This is the kind of popcorn entertainer that you leave your brains aside to watch and enjoy. Every character is a caricature, serving a function for the narrative and having no layers beyond ‘good’ or ‘bad’. But, somehow, that… works?

In some sense of the word, these kinds of action films are the last truly genre films we have left. Well, Heads of State is still an Action-Comedy, but still. Heads of State neither bothers to develop layered character, nor does it think to present the facade of a complicated and intelligent political dilemma. The film slaps in the leanest layer of reason for the film to make just enough sense for the action to be justified. And then, it unleashes some of the most crazy, thrilling action sequences that genuinely are awe-inspiring.

What works, though, is the lead duo. While Priyanka Chopra Jonas is featured across all promo material, it’s really Idris Elba and John Cena that keep this film going. They make their caricature characters feel real enough. Their chemistry, however, just seals the deal. From the running taunts of fish and chips, to the many clashes of these two opposing personalities, everything is just funny and charming enough to keep the film from sinking below the ‘bad movie’ border.

In fact, I’d even argue that this film entertained me the perfect amount that I expected it to. After all, Ilya Naishuller is in the director’s seat, so the crazy action sequences were bound to be EPIC.

Can’t Look Past Some Flaws

For all its many wins, Heads of State fails to cross into the ‘good film’ territory for more than enough reasons.

While many of the plot points are ridiculous to the point of absurdism, they aren’t absurdist. The grounded treatment in some parts of the film end up making the more farfetched parts feel too unlikely. The film didn’t need to take itself seriously. The action is stylish, but often these attempts to showcase seriousness broke my immersion into this one. If the makers had instead chosen to double down on the absurd—like they did in almost every single action sequence, the film could have been a much more entertaining experience.

Secondly, the film isn’t unique enough. Where films like Inglorious Basters and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare had their stylistic individuality, Heads of State felt a little too generic. And that’s sad, because Ilya Naishuller has already proven his mettle as a unique storyteller. I guess the need to meet box office expectation—well, streaming platform, in this case—might have had something to do. Was it studio interference? Who knows?

Heads of State (2025) Ending Explained (SPOILERS)

Turns out that the true mastermind behind everything was Vice President Elizabeth Kirk. She paid Gradov to carry out the terrorist activities, as well as involve Bradshaw as a contingency. Having discovered the plot, Will & Sam break into the NATO conference and out Kirk, only for her to exposit her reasoning behind her actions (I won’t repeat them here because they’re barely more logical than a right wing troll on Twitter).

Gradov breaks in and kills her, proceeding to attempt killing all the world leaders. After a series of epic—and I genuinely mean creative and fun—action sequences, Gradov is taken down. Will & Sam make peace and even end up having fish and chips together, both for the press as well as for their newly blossomed friendship. Both their approval ratings are high; NATO is working towards rebuilding trust among member countries, and lastly, Noel & Will start dating again.

In a mid-credit scene, we see Agent Comer alive and well being contacted by Noel for their mission.

A pretty straightforward and simplistic ending, but one that narratively concludes every character’s arc and the plot in a satisfying way.

Is Heads of State (2025) worth watching?

Depends.

If you want a mindless entertainer that ignores logic and common sense in exchange for mind-blowing action sequences with above average character banter, then yes. If that isn’t the kind of film you like or can even marginally appreciate, then stay away from this one.

Heads of State is an okay film. To call it bad would be to ignore its many amazing action sequences as well as Cena & Elba’s on-screen chemistry (something we’ve seen in The Suicide Squad already). To call it a good film would be to ignore the many gross logical flaws in its plot as well as the dumbed-down mass-entertainer treatment it gets. Of course, the fact that its self-aware makes up for the stupidity, but overall the film is just… okay. Not the best mindless entertainer, but a decent one.

In Conclusion:

Heads of State (2025) is a self-aware mindless entertainer that succeeds at creating a fantastic two hour action extravaganza, but is too flawed and generic to be considered a masterpiece.

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• Island of the Dying Goddess

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