Heads of State receives a Rotten Tomatoes score of 67% after its release

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John Cena and Idris Elba in Heads of State (Image via Prime Video)
John Cena and Idris Elba in Heads of State (Image via Prime Video)

Heads of State is an action comedy film that premiered on Prime Video on July 2, 2025. Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, and Harrison Query have written the script from a story by Query.

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Directed by Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry, Nobody), the movie sees John Cena and Idris Elba reunite years after they first starred together in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad. While Cena portrays the US President Will Derringer, Elba appears as the UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke.

As of writing, the film has received a 67% critics' approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer, based on 60 reviews. The Popcornmeter score stands at 81%, suggesting better audience reception as the parameter is based on 250+ ratings.

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What is the plot of Heads of State?

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In Heads of State, Sam and Will are not on good terms with each other, which affects the relationship between their countries. To diffuse the tension between the two world leaders and present a united front to the world, their secretaries suggest that they travel together to the upcoming NATO Summit on Air Force One.

However, things take a turn when Air Force One is shot down, leaving Sam and Will no choice other than to reluctantly work together to avoid being hunted down by an unknown adversary's goons. As the movie unfolds over an hour and fifty-three minutes, the viewers learn who this enemy is.

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Heads of State features several intense action sequences balanced with sharp comedy, as Will and Sam constantly bicker while racing across countries for their lives. Jack Quaid's CIA Agent Marky Comer and Priyanka Chopra Jonas' Noel Bisset add to the film's appeal. The supporting cast includes Paddy Considine, Carla Gugino, Stephen Root, Sarah Niles, Clara Foster, and several others.

Also read: Deep Cover (2025): Full list of cast and characters explored


Director Ilya Naishuller is eager to work with Jack Quaid again

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After Marky gets shot in the head, his future appears to be pretty much sealed. However, that changes in the mid-credits scene when Marty boasts about having a metal plate in his brain that saved his life. In fact, Noel also recruits him to work with her.

During an interview with ScreenRant, published on July 2, 2025, Ilya Naishuller stated that Marty will return if and when a sequel is made.

"If [people] watch the movie and enjoy it, and Amazon feels like it makes sense to do a second one, absolutely. I'd love to get more of Jack in there [and] more of Marty," Naishuller said.
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Even if a sequel is not greenlit, Niashuller is looking forward to teaming up with the Novocaine star again. In the same interview, the director mentioned:

"If it’s not Heads of State 2, I will be bugging Jack to work together again because he comes in, he knows what he’s doing, he’s an incredible energy in terms of his positivity and the desire to not just be here and do a great job, but to go above and beyond."
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Naishuller further said Quaid is an actor who listens, intends to be better, and understands how collaboration works for such projects. He added that this makes his job as a director easy and fun, as one might think.


Heads of State is available to stream on Prime Video.

Edited by DEEPALI
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