‘The Naked Gun’ – Review
Director Akiva Schaffer, with the irreverent comedic flair of producer Seth MacFarlane, delivers a riot of slapstick brilliance with The Naked Gun, a laugh-out-loud resurrection of the iconic Police Squad! franchise. This legacy sequel introduces us to a brand-new bumbling detective in Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., played with surprising comedic gusto by Liam Neeson, and the result is pure cinematic chaos—in the best way possible. Packed with outrageous gags, absurd set-pieces, sultry femme fatales, high-speed car chases, and even hotdogs, this is a film that leaves audiences doubled over in laughter.
Only one man has the particular set of skills… to lead Police Squad and save the world! Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) follows in his father’s footsteps in THE NAKED GUN.
From the very first frame, The Naked Gun establishes itself as a true continuation of Leslie Nielsen’s beloved slapstick tradition, bringing back the madcap tone, sight gags, and rapid-fire punchlines that made the originals timeless. Schaffer and MacFarlane clearly know the rules of this particular comedic playground, and their secret is simple: they don’t just imitate the past; they revel in it. The comedy is big, broad, and unapologetically ridiculous, and it’s been a long time since we’ve laughed this hard in a cinema.
The biggest surprise of all? Liam Neeson. Yes, the man known for his steely gravitas and grizzled action-hero presence (Taken, The Grey) takes a sharp left turn here and throws himself headfirst into the chaos of slapstick. As Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. a washed-out, over-his-head noir detective desperately trying to live up to his father’s legacy, Neeson hams it up with gleeful abandon. He pratfalls, deadpans, and gets caught in every conceivable comedic mishap. It’s a brilliant parody of his own tough-guy screen persona, and audiences are going to love seeing him send himself up so thoroughly. Quite frankly, this is the performance we never knew we needed from Neeson, and it’s utterly brilliant to behold.
Balancing out Neeson’s bumbling detective is Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport, a seductive crime novelist with a femme fatale edge. Anderson has long played with her bombshell image, but here she takes it to another level, skewering the classic noir archetype with perfect comedic timing. She’s alluring, elusive, and dangerously funny, effortlessly flipping between sultry melodrama and outrageous punchlines. Most importantly, she has sparkling chemistry with Neeson, and the two of them together light up the screen with their bizarre but irresistible dynamic. Anderson proves herself to be a genuine scene-stealer, and her turn here is bound to surprise audiences in all the right ways.
But beyond the performances, what makes The Naked Gun such a knockout is how it nails the legacy comedy sequel formula. The plot is gleefully over-the-top, involving an evil billionaire, a mysterious MacGuffin, and stakes so absurd that only an over-the-hill detective could possibly stumble his way to victory. Along the way, Schaffer and MacFarlane cram in a dizzying array of jokes—slapstick, wordplay, irreverent non-sequiturs, and even a brilliantly timed O.J. gag that has to be seen to be believed. The humour comes fast and furious, and in our screening, the audience was in stitches from start to finish. By the time the credits rolled, the entire cinema was a chorus of aching jaw muscles and belly laughs.
What’s remarkable is that while the film is silly beyond measure, it never feels lazy. Every gag is meticulously constructed, every joke lands with intent, and the whole production is bursting with energy and joy. It’s a love letter to Leslie Nielsen’s legacy, but it’s also a statement in its own right; slapstick cinema isn’t dead, and when done right, it can still be one of the most exhilarating forms of comedy.
At the end of the day, The Naked Gun is pure fun. It’s the movie you throw on when you need to forget the world for two hours and lose yourself in sheer ridiculousness. Grab a drink, grab a hotdog, and prepare to laugh yourself silly, because Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson are about to show you a side of comedy you never expected, and trust us, it’s comedy gold.
Image: Paramount Pictures
