Prime Video‘s Heads of State is essentially a buddy comedy if, instead of two cops or one cop and one criminal or one cop and one private investigator it’s, well, two heads of state. The narrative follows Sam Clarke (Idris Elba), Prime Minister of Britain, and former action movie star turned United States President Will Derringer (John Cena) as their Air Force One trip to the NATO summit gets cut short by some terrorists. They’ve escaped, everyone aboard the plane is dead, and these two world leaders, who don’t get along at all, must establish enough of a bond to figure out who put those gunmen on the plane in the first place.

Heads of State goes to show that, at this point in time, not all of the summer movie season’s most entertaining movies end up on the big screen. With enthralling action sequences and compelling chemistry between Cena and Elba, it’s a winner of an action-comedy.

1) Novocaine

Jack Quaid has seen his star rise considerably since the beginning of The Boys back in 2019. Amazon seems to be a comfortable home for Quaid, considering he’s excelled in both that dark superhero series and in his brief role in Heads of State, as over-enthusiastic safehouse-keeper Marty Comer in Heads of State.

It’s not the meatiest role Quaid has ever had, but like his minor roles in Oppenheimer and Rampage, he’s as much a scene-stealer as he was in bigger parts like in Scream, Companion, and Neighborhood Watch. Then there’s Novocaine, his first through and through leading man film, and it’s a charmingly ultra-violent and often hysterical one at that. Like Companion, it’s one of the best movies of 2025.

Stream Novocaine on Paramount+.

2) Nobody

There are currently three really good reasons to watch or rewatch Nobody. For one, it’s very John Wick-esque, and it could make for an excellent companion to official John Wick spin-off Ballerina on double feature night. Two, Nobody 2 hits theaters on August 15.

But, as for reason three, it’s tied to Heads of State, and not just because they’re both compelling actioners. Specifically, both films are directed by Ilya Naishuller, who has made his name constructing action films that play with formula.

Stream Nobody for free with ads on Prime Video.

3) The Suicide Squad

For all intents and purposes James Gunn’s DCU, which has now officially begun with the release of Superman, really kicked off with his The Suicide Squad in 2021. And no matter which way you look at it, he’s given this new cinematic universe a wonderful start.

The Suicide Squad was also the first time Cena and Elba were paired. And like in Heads of State, their chemistry here is a highpoint. Here’s hoping, even with The Suicide Squad‘s highly unfortunate financial failure, it’s not the last time we see Peacemaker and Bloodsport share the screen.

Stream The Suicide Squad on HBO Max.

4) Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

When Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs was introduced in Fast Five has was a foil for Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto. When Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw was introduced at the tail end of Fast & Furious 6, he was firmly established as the franchise’s big bad. But both characters were too popular with fans to remain relegated to adversary roles, and over time they’ve become as fleshed out as any member of Dom’s crew, if not more so.

But more than any individual traits the two characters have, what has really soared with fans is their pairing. As characters they bounce off one another quite well, the same of which could be said of Johnson and Statham as performers. So perhaps it was inevitable we’d get Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. And while it can sometimes feel a bit removed from the franchise’s core installments in terms of tone (and having a supervillain as the big bad, played by Heads of State‘s Idris Elba), it’s one of the Fast saga’s better entries.

Stream Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw on Peacock.

5) White House Down

Like with Deep Impact and Armageddon, White House Down and Olympus Has Fallen are two movies with basically the same plot that came out with only a short period separating their release. And, admittedly, Olympus Has Fallen is better than White House Down.

But tonally, White House Down is way closer to Heads of State than Olympus Has Fallen. Olympus is gritty in its violence and entirely lacks humor, while White House Down still comes equipped with action but a nice little sense of humor, too. Neither are high art, but both are entertaining, it’s just White House Down is more entertaining in the light way Heads of State is.

Stream White House Down on Netflix.

6) G20

G20 is without a doubt a movie to press play on after Heads of State cuts to credits, and for several reasons. For one, they’re both Prime Video originals. Equally importantly, they’re both actioners where the protagonist is the President of the United States.

Viola Davis proves that she truly can do anything as President Sutton. One of the most talented performers of her generation, it turns out she can also kick butt with the best of them.

Stream G20 on Prime Video.

7) The Rundown

While Dwayne Johnson went from WWE star to actor with The Mummy Returns, it was basically a non-verbal role, most of which was just awful CGI. He then led The Scorpion King, but if anything proved to be his breakthrough as a movie star, it was The Rundown.

While the movie didn’t perform well at the box office, it scored solid reviews and is still fun over 20 years later. How does this tie into Heads of State? John Cena was once a WWE star, too, and Heads of State only further cements that he has as much star power and charm as Johnson, if not more so.

Stream The Rundown on Starz Apple TV Channel.