Heads Of State Review: Priyanka Chopra Saves The Day In John Cena And Idris Elba-Led Action Comedy

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Heads Of State Movie Review: The film rides on the charm of its leads, but it's Priyanka Chopra who truly packs a punch in action, presence and how she rewrites the spy-girl trope.
Heads Of State Movie Review: In Heads of State, a high-octane political action-comedy streaming on Prime Video, the buddy formula of mismatched leads gets a flashy upgrade with Idris Elba and John Cena at the helm. But it's Priyanka Chopra Jonas who ultimately walks away with the most memorable moments, asserting, once again, that she belongs not just in Bollywood royalty but in the global action elite.
Directed by Ilya Naishuller (Nobody, Hardcore Henry), Heads of State throws together a fictional US President and UK Prime Minister in the middle of a full-blown assassination plot. President Will Derringer (John Cena), a former action star turned political figure, is vain, impulsive and oddly lovable. Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) is the polar opposite. He is stoic, composed and constantly unimpressed. When their plane crashes en route to a NATO summit, they're forced to survive in enemy territory, dodging bullets, betrayals and the burden of diplomacy.
For Indian audiences, Priyanka Chopra's role as MI6 agent Noel Bisset is a huge reason to hit play and thankfully, the payoff is real. The movie opens with her high-octane action sequence at Spain's Tomatina festival, setting a thrilling tone. Though she disappears for a while, she returns midway with commanding presence, fluid fight choreography and whip-smart one-liners.
Noel Bisset isn't a token sidekick or love interest; she's a fully realised, no-nonsense operative who literally saves the two most powerful men on the planet. Chopra, seasoned with past action hits like Don, Mary Kom, Quantico, and Citadel, delivers a physically convincing and charismatic performance that makes the spy fantasy feel tangible. It's particularly refreshing to see a South Asian woman in a leading action role that doesn't reduce her to a cliché but empowers her as the smartest person in the room and often, the strongest.
Her flashback sequence revealing how she survived a covert operation gone wrong is both cheeky and cool. Whether she's sliding into combat mode or trading barbs with Cena and Elba, Priyanka Chopra is perfectly cast, commanding the screen every time she appears.
As for the film's headliners, Cena and Elba make an unlikely but watchable pair. Cena plays Derringer with the same exaggerated bravado he brought to Peacemaker, skewering the Hollywood-hero-turned-politician archetype with abandon. Elba, ever the professional, gives his stiff, brooding Prime Minister just enough dry humour to prevent him from becoming a bore. Together, they bicker, banter and bomb their way across Eastern Europe in a bromantic detour full of explosions and ego clashes.
While their chemistry can feel forced early on, it eventually hits its rhythm. Elba plays straight man to Cena's bombast, and some of their comic moments like disguising themselves as Canadians to avoid attention land well.
Naishuller's direction leans into the absurdist energy he's known for. He stages elaborate, kinetic action scenes that rarely pause to breathe, from a thrilling mid-air assault on Air Force One to a firefight involving the President's heavily armoured limo 'The Beast." One visually striking moment includes drone POV shots reminiscent of Hardcore Henry, a creative, chaotic touch.
However, while the action is slick and often inventive, the comedy doesn't always stick the landing. It tries to balance political satire, slapstick and buddy humour, but some jokes feel recycled or undercooked. The script teases a parody of real-world politics, but it never quite commits, offering caricature rather than critique.
Jack Quaid makes a delightful, if brief, appearance as an excitable CIA weapons expert. His manic energy adds a fun burst of chaos in the second act. Meanwhile, the villains are generic at best, and their convoluted motives exist mostly to keep the chase going. The plot is merely a peg for the film's true intent: to entertain with stylish mayhem and loud laughs.
By the climax, the film leans into its fantasy logic full tilt, abandoning realism for bombastic set-pieces. But that's the charm of Heads of State. It knows what it is: an action-comedy romp that doesn't want you to think too hard. It delivers on entertainment, if not depth, and does so with style.
What elevates it beyond standard fare is its cast, particularly Priyanka Chopra Jonas. At a time when Hollywood is expanding its lens, her role feels both earned and overdue, giving global audiences a glimpse of what Indian fans have known for years: Priyanka Chopra is a powerhouse.
First Published:
July 02, 2025, 20:07 IST