Heads of State
Amazon MGM Studios | Release Date (Streaming): July 2, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
7
Negative:
3

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The GuardianAndrew LawrenceJul 2, 2025
Fun, fiery and totally frivolous, Heads of State is a perfect summer movie with great potential for future sequels. Read full review
80
EmpireOlly RichardsJun 30, 2025
A really good, dumb comedy can be a joyous thing, and this is a really good, dumb comedy. Read full review
75
TheWrapMatt GoldbergJul 3, 2025
This is a big, broad action movie, so director Ilya Naishuller isn’t trying to be particularly subtle by implying that just as Will and Sam must work through their differences, so too must the global community. Read full review
75
The Daily BeastNick SchagerJul 2, 2025
A globetrotting action comedy whose primary selling point is the chemistry of headliners (and The Suicide Squad castmates) Idris Elba and John Cena. Read full review
75
IndieWireSiddhant AdlakhaJun 27, 2025
Torn between action and comedy, irony and sentiment, and rah-rah jingoism and genuine self-reflection, Heads of State is a surprisingly entertaining romp. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeJul 3, 2025
“Nobody” director Ilya Naishuller takes gags that have no business working . . . and milks them for laughs, adding original solutions to otherwise familiar action scenes. Read full review
70
ColliderNate RichardJun 27, 2025
If you need a big, dumb action movie with two buff guys to kick back and down some beers while watching, you are in luck. Read full review
63
USA TodayBrian TruittJul 2, 2025
Heads of State is a bomb pop of a summer movie. It works as a fizzy, somewhat kid-friendly throwback to action-packed ‘80s partnerships – think “Tango & Cash” or “Lethal Weapon” – that doesn’t take itself too seriously and, for a starry streaming action flick, thankfully isn’t a lame duck. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzJul 2, 2025
All in all, it’s stupid fun, done with enough panache that its thin story and sometimes too-glib attitude doesn’t hurt it too much. Read full review
60
IGNKenneth Seward Jr.Jul 10, 2025
Amazon’s Heads of State is a near-humorless buddy comedy film, saved by its compelling leads and elaborate action sequences. Read full review
60
The New York TimesGlenn KennyJul 2, 2025
It’s loud albeit harmless japery, best appreciated with your air-conditioning cranked to movie theater levels. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesRobert LloydJul 2, 2025
It’s a painless watch, and, in its cheery, fantastic absurdity, something of a respite from the messier, crazier, more unbelievable world awaiting you once the credits have rolled. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubTim GriersonJul 2, 2025
As an action-comedy, Heads Of State is more successful at the former than the latter. It’s a junky, diverting movie, one with major tonal issues and a completely predictable storyline, no matter how many twists and red herrings the filmmakers throw at us. Not sharp enough to be memorable but just well-crafted enough that you wish everyone involved had tried a little harder. Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn HornadayJul 2, 2025
As a blithely likable blunt instrument, Heads of State gets the job done, justifying its anesthetized mayhem with a sweet-natured message about the importance of friendship, international alliances and institutional continuity. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterCaryn JamesJun 27, 2025
The film, from Nobody director Ilya Naishuller, is a typical action-comedy that benefits greatly from its two stars, and slightly from their unexpected characters, before plunging fast into explosive but trite set-pieces. Read full review
50
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiJun 27, 2025
Without Cena and Elba’s committed and charming performances, as well as great supporting turns from Considine and Carla Gugino as Vice President Elizabeth Kirk, Heads of State wouldn’t be worth discussing Read full review
39
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzJun 27, 2025
More often than not, Heads of State feels as if it is missing its own leader, as if the director was simply a package lost in the Prime delivery mail. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreJul 3, 2025
It turns out that reuniting Bloodsport and Peacemaker from “Suicide Squad” wasn’t the can’t-miss that nobody predicted. Read full review
38
The Associated PressJake CoyleJul 1, 2025
The vaguest hints of real-world intrigue only cast a pale light on the movie’s mostly lackluster comic chops and uninspired action sequences. Read full review
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