Upon first glance, ‘The Naked Gun‘ seems like it might not have much to offer, or at least it didn’t to me.
I wasn’t familiar with the legacy of The Naked Gun and Detective Frank Drebin. It wasn’t something I grew up with, and it wasn’t even something my parents mentioned in passing.
I went to my screening unaware of Detective Drebin, but I left the theater with a desire to watch the rest of the franchise (starring Leslie Nielsen). If you’re like me and haven’t seen the original Naked Gun films, don’t worry – you don’t need to. There are plenty of callbacks that longtime fans will love, but I didn’t know any of them and had a great time.
The film follows Detective Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) as he attempts to save the Police Squad from shutting down while solving a murder that leads him to mysterious tech mogul Richard Kane (Danny Huston). It’s pretty basic, but what it lacks in plot, it makes up for in jokes.
And the jokes aren’t dumb either. Well, they are (there’s plenty of potty humor), but they’re balanced with genuinely witty jokes, my favorite being the P.L.O.T. device, aka the Primordial Law of Toughness device that the bad guys use to create violent outbursts. I loved the humorous physical bits that involved increasingly large cups of coffee, but the few jabs at police brutality, as well as the weird sex scene involving Neeson, Pamela Anderson, and a snowman, didn’t land for me.
Speaking of Anderson, her chemistry with Neeson is off the charts. She plays Beth Davenport, a true crime writer with the personality of a firecracker. Beth is Frank’s love interest, but simultaneously his partner in crime.
Neeson’s gravely, deadpan voice and serious expression add an extra layer of humor to each joke. And the film is perfectly paced, with a clean runtime of 1 hour and 25 minutes. There are probably at least 3 jokes per minute, so if you’re looking for an easy laugh, The Naked Gun is currently playing in theaters.
(Feature photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures)
