• Release year: 2025
• Director: Ilya Naishuller.
• Producers: John Rickard and Peter Safran.
• Screenplay by: John Appelbaum, André Nemec, and Harrison Query.
• Cinematography by: Ben Davis.
• Music by: Steven Price.

Shotgun Commentary: if you are in the mood for a stupid movie, look no further.

Review

Heads of State is the latest stupid action comedy released on Amazon. Depending on your taste, that might be a must-watch or a complete next, but just in case you’re on the fence, let’s talk about it a bit.

Bro force

Remember G20 (2025)? This is pretty much the same, but with self-awareness, which is really welcomed considering the stupidity of the premise. We move on from the G20 to a NATO summit, also stirring the action from the inside of the event to the outside. Instead of a woman being the badass president of the US and killing a bunch of Australian bad guys, we now follow white guy Will Derringer (John Cena), who got the presidency the same way Schwarzenegger got his governance: starring in action movies. Sadly, a much more believable premise.

Said white bro teams up with depressed British PM Sam Clarke (Idris Elba), a man who is actually qualified for his role and has worked hard his whole life to get to where he is. Naturally, this stark contrast in background makes them lock horns from the very beginning, which is rule number one for action comedy team-ups. These couple, while charming thanks to the actors portraying them, bring little to no innovation in terms of dialogue. Are they still entertaining and even fun at times? Yes. Will you completely forget the film the minute is over? Very likely, also yes.

Backup

Supporting this dynamic duo are Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the role of super agent Noel Bisset, and Jack Quaid as CIA agent Marty Comer. Chopra’s role as a strong, powerful woman is quite enjoyable, albeit bland since her only comedic hook is the use of puns and none of them are even decent enough.

Take it from a pun lover, when the only good pun comes out of the character who isn’t supposed to like puns… maybe give your pun-loving character a personality to go with that flat fun fact? She is a great agent that fails the first operation you see her direct, a really unconvincing pun lover, and a character that intended to be cool but ended up being simply “the girl”.

As for Jack Quaid, who has a significantly shorter appearance, he pays quirky CIA agent Comer, who, unlike Bisset, was actually present the day personalities were handed out. In his little time on screen, he protagonises the coolest scene in the whole film. Talk about time efficiency.

Yes, but no

The action itself is insane enough to be entertaining and ridiculous enough to impede your investment in it. It does provide a couple of laughs and provokes zero emotional investment, so it is actually quite perfect for brainless entertainment if that’s what you’re looking for. Does the president go through three thousand moments where his ankles should a 100% have broken? Yes, he does. Does it matter? Nah.

In a film where the main message is “NATO is important because unity”, it is hard to take anything seriously. One only needs to look towards East Europe to realise how hilariously ironic that message is at a time like this. Then again, it still makes more sense that G20, so at least they are over the bar, even if the bar is currently in hell.

All in all, Heads of State is an entertaining comedy that you will love if you are a fan of the cast. It is fun as long as you completely disassociate from the reality that surrounds you, and pretty good if you pay no attention to the story of the laws of physic. Is this your jam? Only you can tell.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Sometimes, the most obvious bad guy IS the bad guy.
• Politicians saving the day is a great prompt for a comedy. Or it would be, if it didn’t feel so much like a cruel joke.
• Women also have personalities, please remember that if you ever find yourself writing a script.

What’s your take? Have you watched Heads of State? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀