The movie starts with some secret agents trying to catch a bad guy named Viktor Gradov in Spain during a big tomato festival. But Viktor is really smart and he escapes, plus his men kill most of the good guys and steal some important computer stuff that lets them spy on people.
Meanwhile, we meet Sam Clarke (Idris Elba), who is the Prime Minister of England, and Will Derringer (John Cena), who just became the President of America. Derringer used to be a movie star before he became president, kind of like how some actors become politicians in real life. The problem is, Sam and Derringer really don't like each other at all. They already had a big fight in front of reporters and cameras, which makes them both look really bad.
Their helpers tell them they need to fly together on the president's big airplane called "Air Force One" to go to an important meeting in Italy. This way, people will think they're friends and that America and England work well together. Sam and Will don't want to do this, but they agree because they have to.
But here's where things get really crazy. While they're flying over a country called Belarus, Viktor's bad guys attack Air Force One with missiles and shoot it down! Sam and Derringer jump out of the plane with parachutes, and everyone in the world thinks they're dead. They land in Belarus and realize that someone they trust has been secretly helping Viktor.
A nice lady in Belarus gives them a ride to Poland, where they find a CIA agent named 'Marty' who helps them. But Viktor's scary assassins, a man and woman named Sasha and Olga, attack them there too. Marty gets shot in the head, but Sam and Derringer escape with help from Noel (Priyanka Chopra), a tough lady spy who was supposed to be dead but actually survived the attack in Spain.
Noel tells them that Viktor's computer hacker broke into the spy system and leaked secret files to everyone, which ruined the big meeting they were supposed to go to. Noel used to be his Sam's girlfriend before he became Prime Minister, which makes things awkward.
The three of them take a train to Italy, but Viktor's men attack them again. This time, the hacker guy decides he's tired of working for Viktor and kills one of the attackers, but he gets hurt really bad in the process. Before he dies, he tells them to go to his old office in Croatia to find out who the traitor is.
In Croatia, they look at old computer messages and think they've figured out that the traitor is Derringer's helper named Bradshaw. But then Viktor's men attack them again, and there's a huge explosion that seems to kill Sam. Derringer and Noel are really sad and think they've lost their friend.
They go to the meeting in Italy, but then they discover the real traitor is actually Elizabeth Kirk, who is Derringer's Vice President! She was working with Viktor the whole time and just made it look like Bradshaw was the bad guy. Viktor's assassins start chasing Derringer and Noel through the streets of Italy in a really exciting car chase.
But then, in a big surprise, Sam shows up driving a fire truck! He didn't actually die in the explosion – he escaped and drove all the way from Croatia to Italy to save his friends. During the chase, Olga accidentally blows herself up with her own grenade launcher.
They all make it to the big meeting just in time to stop Elizabeth from breaking up NATO, which is like a union of countries that help protect each other military wise. Derringer confronts Elizabeth about being a traitor, but then Viktor shows up and shoots her! His men start attacking everyone at the meeting.
There's a huge fight where Noel kills Sasha. Sam and Derringer chase after Viktor. In the end, Derringer throws a statue at Viktor's helicopter, which makes it crash and kills Viktor. The good guys win!
Two months later, Sam and Derringer have become best friends, and all the countries are working together again. In a funny scene after the credits, we find out that Marty (the CIA agent) didn't actually die because he had a metal plate in his head that stopped the bullet, and Noel comes to talk to him at a bar.
Now let me tell you what I thought about this movie. First of all, it's completely ridiculous and doesn't make any sense if you think about it too hard, but that's exactly what makes it so much fun! The movie knows It's silly and doesn't try to pretend it's realistic.
John Cena is really good as the president. He plays Will Derringer as someone who seems dumb at first because he used to be an action movie star, but he's actually pretty smart and brave when he needs to be. Cena is really funny in the role and you can tell he's having a blast making jokes and doing action scenes.
Idris Elba is perfect as the British Prime Minister. He's very serious and proper, which makes a great contrast with Cena's more relaxed American character. When they start out hating each other and then become best friends, it feels real because both actors are so good at showing how their characters change.
Priyanka Chopra is awesome as Noel, the spy lady. She does all her own fighting and really looks like she could beat up anybody who gets in her way. some people said her character wasn't needed, but I think she's great because she can do things that Sam and Will can't do, and she helps move the story along.
The action scenes are absolutely incredible. There are car chases, explosions, gun fights, and helicopter crashes that look amazing and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The director, Ilya Naishuller, is really good at making action scenes that are exciting and easy to follow.
What I loved most is that even though Sam and Will are supposed to be the most powerful people in the world, they're actually pretty bad at fighting and being spies. Most of the time when they win fights, it's because they get lucky or make mistakes that accidentally work out. This makes them much more likable than if they were perfect action heroes.
The movie is also really funny without trying too hard. There are lots of great jokes and the three main characters have really good chemistry together. They feel like real friends by the end of the movie.
The only problems I had were that some of the CGI effects didn't look great, especially some explosions, and sometimes the plot moves so fast that you don't have time to think about whether things make sense. But honestly, the movie is so entertaining that I didn't really care about these small issues.
The villains'are pretty good too. Viktor is scary and smart, and Sasha and Olga barely talk but they're really intimidating because they're so calm and professional when they're trying to kill people.
If you like movies that are just pure fun with lots of action, comedy, and friendship, you'll definitely enjoy Heads of State. It's not trying to win any awards or teach you important lessons – it just wants you to have a good time for two hours. And it definitely succeeds at that!
The movie reminds me of those big action movies from the 1990s where everything was over the top and ridiculous but still really entertaining. It's the kind of movie that's perfect to watch with friends when you just want to turn your brain off and enjoy some silly fun.
I'd definitely watch a sequel if they make one, because the ending clearly sets up more adventures for these characters. John Cena and Idris Elba work so well together that I'd love to see them team up again for another crazy mission.
Watch on Amazon Prime