The Naked Gun is the best spoof movie since The Naked Gun.
That’s not to say there haven’t been other great ones – the Hot Shots movies and Loaded Weapon 1 are a blast. And Steve Oedekerk’s Kung Pow is damn near euphoric before falling apart in the last act.
But the new Naked Gun, a reboot of the classic comedy film trilogy (itself a reboot of 1982’s short-lived Police Squad! TV series), feels like a special achievement, bringing a beloved but unfashionable genre roaring back to new life, in a time when we need to laugh.
Directed by Akiva Schaffer (Popstar, Hot Rod), the reboot features a next-generation cast led by Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin, Jr. – the son of the original Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen). And while the original films hold a special place in many fans’ hearts, this new take is both worthy and hilarious.
Drebin’s investigation into a vehicular fatality first appears to have been a routine accident or a suicide, but the victim’s sister Beth (Pamela Anderson) urges him to take a deeper look; she’s certain her brother was murdered. Love blossoms as the pair combine forces to investigate; meanwhile the Police Squad is facing a threat of closure, creating headaches for Capt. Ed Hocken Jr. (Paul Walter Hauser as the son of the original Hocken played by George Kennedy), and their long-suffering chief (CCH Pounder).
The film keeps the barrage of jokes and gags coming at a rapid clip with a high landing rate, running the gamut from witty wordplays to bawdy slapstick. It’s worth noting the film is funnier than its trailers suggest, and very reverential and referential to the original movies, maintaining a similar style while also updating the concept to riff on modern stuff like body cams and electric cars.
I was a little worried that Seth MacFarlane, who developed and produced the picture, might put his edgier, mean-spirited stamp on it, but that’s not the case. Like the other films, it has some strong innuendo and adult humor, arguably more than its predecessors, but generally stays in a PG-13 lane and strikes the right tone. And that includes the series’ tradition of rich and smarmy villains (Danny Huston and Kevin Durand).
Does it make much sense that the Irish Neeson plays the son of the Canadian Neilsen? No. Does it matter? Also no. Despite the incongruity (or maybe because of it), Neeson is a great choice to step in this role, especially since he’s spent the last couple decades playing stoic dad-action heroes in grim revenge movies that are increasingly difficult to differentiate. As Drebin, he gets the opportunity to riff on his own persona, correctly following the instinct to play the character straight rather than try to act funny, a philosophy that Nielsen also often adhered to in his comedic roles. And there’s also an underlying kinship with the character, for Neeson, like Frank Drebin, is a widower who lost his wife. And even with the film’s raucous nonstop humor, this ray of truth shines through his performance, like the suggestion of an old wound that’s recovered but still sometimes aches.
Perhaps the biggest surprise with a new Naked Gun is that it’s lean and tight – eschewing modern trends, in this respect it’s just like the other films in the series, clocking in at under 90 minutes: a punchy and effective blast of fun energy that’s an easy recommend.
