The late Leslie Nielsen may have left us more than 14 years ago, but his legacy still lives on in our memories, especially for those who grew up watching his comedies during the 80s and 90s era. His signature brand of deadpan and nonchalant personalities made him such an undisputed icon for spoof movies, as seen in the likes of Airplane!, and of course, the Naked Gun trilogy.
For the latter, the last Naked Gun was Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult over 30 years ago. It was originally meant to be the final instalment of the movie series, but in the eyes of the Hollywood vultures studio execs, they will always find a way to maintain or revive a franchise wherever they see fit. And so they did, and after a long-gestating attempt over the years, The Naked Gun is back with a legacy sequel. Again, with Leslie Nielsen no longer here, it’s a tough shoe to fill for anyone who tries to step into the role of Lt. Frank Drebin.
So, we have Liam Neeson taking up the challenge, and ironically, like the late predecessor, he is primarily known for dramatic roles in the past, making him seemingly the right candidate to take over the mantle. Neeson actually ventured into comedy roles before, such as The Lego Movie and A Million Ways to Die in the West, but The Naked Gun is the ultimate litmus test to see if he can pull it off. Well, the good news is that Neeson made quite an impression playing the bumbling police lieutenant, even though he is no match for Nielsen’s straight-face absurdity.
He may carry the same name as Frank Drebin, but the movie still acknowledges the existence of the original trilogy, as Akiva Schaffer, who also co-wrote the screenplay, made the right choice to make Neeson’s character as Frank’s son. True to the familiar “like father, like son” adage, Frank a.k.a Frank Drebin Jr. is just as clumsy and oblivious, but still gets the job done. Frank is first introduced during the opening stretch, disguising as a schoolgirl (don’t bother trying to make sense of the anatomy here), and casually walking into the bank, where the robbery takes place, before revealing himself. What follows next is a series of slapstick gags as Frank single-handedly stops the robbers in the utmost nonsensical way possible, like the way he crumbles the robber’s gun as if it’s a piece of cookie. Is it funny, though? Kind of, with the scale of laugh-o-meter doesn’t quite reach the satisfying height of comedic schtick that I’m looking for.
Frankly (no pun intended), it takes a while for The Naked Gun to get into the right footing. The initial robbery has to do with Sig Gustafson (Kevin Durand), the right-hand man working for the tech entrepreneur Richard Cane (Danny Huston) in obtaining a MacGuffin from the safe deposit box. That MacGuffin in question serves as a “plot device” both literally and figuratively, which allows Richard to orchestrate a devious plan straight out of a James Bond movie. Personally, the fun starts with the introduction of Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport, a smokin’ hot woman that Frank can’t stop ogling at her body, complete with his inner thought accompanied by the familiar jazz note filling in the background. She’s seeking justice for the death of her brother, Simon (Jason MacDonald), who died in an apparent car crash. There’s an immediate spark in their chemistry from the moment Frank and Beth first met at the police station, while playing off each other well with verbal puns (the part revolving around a chair quickly comes to mind).
Frank soon attempts to get to the bottom of it, with the occasional help of his partner, Captain Ed Hocken Jr. (Paul Walter Hauser, playing the son of the late George Kennedy’s Ed Hocken). Hauser has his moments, but I still can’t help feeling his supporting role is largely sidelined in this legacy sequel. Anyway, Frank’s investigation leads him to visit Richard’s exclusive jazz club, and at one point, Beth happens to be at the scene and provides a distraction by scat-singing on the stage. It was one of the funniest parts in the movie, proving Anderson’s surprising flair for comedies. Interestingly, she nearly had a role that eventually went to Anna Nicole Smith in Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, but it didn’t work out due to scheduling conflicts. To help refresh your memory, Smith played the small role of Tanya Peters, the sexpot girlfriend of Fred Ward’s antagonist character, Rocco Dillon. It took more than three decades before Anderson landed a part in a Naked Gun movie.
Anderson steals the show each time she appears on the screen. I have some good laughs during the sexual innuendos between her and Frank in the apartment, and the obligatory romantic montage scored to a certain ‘80s power ballad. Not to mention the latter even gets a unique subplot of its own during the montage. No doubt that Neeson and Anderson are the best things in The Naked Gun that I wish I could see more of them.
Akiva Schaffer, the director behind Hot Rod and Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, keeps the pace tight and the jokes come flying thick and fast at just 85 minutes. The runtime is just right with none of the pretensions. But then again, not everything works in The Naked Gun, like the recurring sight gags of getting a cup of coffee, become repetitive after a while. Some of the humor makes me feel like they are trying too hard to be funny, or simply falls flat.
The Naked Gun doesn’t quite reach the creative sparks set by the original trilogy, but looking at it as a legacy sequel on its own, it delivers enough silly and irreverent fun. And remember to stick around for the credits.
