The Naked Gun review: Liam Neeson aces Leslie Nielsen’s deadpan in Hollywood’s funniest, most entertaining film in years | Hollywood
The Naked Gun review
Cast: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Danny Huston, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, Liza Koshy, and CCH Pounder
Director: Akiva Schaffer
Rating: ★★★★
Early on in Akiva Schaffer’s new Naked Gun film, Frank Debin Jr (Liam Neeson) is talking to his father (a picture of Leslie Nielsen, the OG Drebin), and he says, “I want to be just like you but different enough to be fresh and original.” That is just one of the countless sharp, meta references the film uses to tickle the audience silly. And it succeeds. The Naked Gun is a relentless composite of gags, witty one-liners, and deadpan humour, which works well as a film, too. That it manages to do so in the age of shortening attention spans and aversion to pop culture references is its biggest victory. No, scratch that! Its biggest victory is that it manages to recreate the original Naked Gun and Austin Powers-esque humour in today’s times, and you don’t even miss not having Leslie Nielsen on screen.
The Naked Gun is a continuation of the original trilogy, where Frank Debin Jr is now the renegade cop in Police Squad, assisted by Ed Hocken Jr. (Paul Walter Hauser), son of Captain Hocken from the original films. After an engineer working for an electric car company dies, his sister Beth (Pamela Anderson) approaches Drebin, saying he was killed. All evidence leads to billionaire Richard Cane (Danny Huston), the Musk-Bezos of this world. Now, Drebin must go out of his comfort zone to find the killer and uncover a sinister plot before time (and the gags) run out.
At 85 minutes, The Naked Gun is one of the shortest commercial films in recent times. It manages to pack in a cohesive story, about a thousand one-liners, and a dozen brilliant gags in that time, without ever feeling rushed. It is a joke-a-minute ride that does not wait for the audience to laugh along, but simply moves ahead in-universe, bringing you along for the joke.
What makes The Naked Gun so fun (and so funny) is how it brings back the deadpan, nonsensical humour that Leslie Nielsen was known for, both in the original Naked Gun films and outside. It does so without resorting to jokes about genitalia and instead focuses on wordplay, puns, wit, and satire. There are several jokes about modern pop culture and the silliness of action films themselves (the doomsday device is literally called P.L.O.T. Device), with the meta commentary seamlessly blending with the more over-the-top jokes. It’s funny, though, that despite all of that, the loudest laughs are generated by the one scene that has some toilet humour – an Austin Powers-lite scene involving everyday things being misunderstood for sex acts. Yet, even that is done tastefully enough that it does not seem jarring.
Liam Neeson steps up to the void left by Nielsen and, without ever trying to replace him, does well. His deadpan humour and delivery are spot on, timing impeccable, and wit sharp. He never lets you miss Nielsen, and the only time you feel he is not fabulous is when you wonder how Leslie Nielsen would have done this differently. But one will always fall short in comparison with arguably the greatest comedic actor of all time. Liam Neeson isn’t competing; he is complementing, almost paying a tribute.
Pamela Anderson is the other star of the film. The makers do well to cast the 58-year-old as the bombshell, and not a regular 30-something-year-old as the siren. She brings the much-needed gravitas to the role of Beth, while ever so subtly reminding everyone why she was THE pinup girl in the ’90s. Pam’s still got it! And she has added brilliant comic timing to her arsenal now.
The Naked Gun is a clever reminder of what Hollywood comedy used to be in its glory days, the era of Mel Brooks and Leslie Nielsen, before it was reduced to the lowest common denominator in the last two decades. It is a rare film that does not require too much thinking, does not have a complex plot, and yet keeps you engaged till the end. Is it predictable? Sure! But it is fun, perhaps the most fun I have had in a theatre in years.
