The Naked Gun
It's been a minute since we've seen a new Naked Gun movie. The failed 80s TV-show turned successful movie franchise in the late 80s and early 90s gets a refresh with Liam Neeson stepping in as Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen's character. Like his namesake, Frank is a talented, if problematic, detective for Police Squad. Playing on Neeson's history with B-move action-thrillers, he slides right into the straight man role of the film in what turns out to be some rather inspired casting.
While there are cases to solve, the Naked Gun movies are basically a string of gags and wordplay strung together hoping to provide as many laughs as possible. Some work better than others, but the franchise has always championed the idea of quantity over quality playing on the same brand of humor began in 1980s Airplane! (although it's true successor is not a Naked Gun film). The story involves Frank making a connection between a bank robbery and the apparent death of a scientist who worked for evil industrialist Richard Cane (Danny Huston) who plans to use the stolen "P.L.O.T. Device" for evil shenanigans in the film's final act.
Running a mile a minute, the movie follows the same basic format of the earlier films including providing a love interest for Frank in the wife of the dead scientist (Pamela Anderson, who gets to show off some of her comedic chops as well). Although we see the sons of other Police Squad members appear, most notably Paul Walter Hauser as Ed Hocken Jr., Frank is unquestionably the main character on whom the story, and much of the comedy, relies. Neeson is more than capable enough to hit the mark with the necessary deadpan response in the face of absolute lunacy that so much of the franchise relies.
Not all the comedy works, as even the running gag of the coffee eventually runs out of steam, but enough does to provide a fun movie experience that knows not to attempt to stretch its structure past its 85-minute running time. Sometimes less is indeed more. The long break between the last film and this new version certainly helps the comedy feel both nostalgic and fresh. Those who enjoyed the earlier films should have fun here as should those encountering this type of slapstick comedy for the first time.
Watch the trailer- Title: The Naked Gun (2025)
- IMDb: link
