The Naked Gun Review: A Briskly Paced Legacy Sequel That Delivers Plenty of Infectiously Silly Fun

Liam Neeson is the last person in my mind to see him filling in the shoes of the late Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun, the long-gestating fourth movie, which also served as a legacy sequel. Sure, Neeson did prove his comedic chops in the past, like when he voiced the Bad Cop/Good Cop and Pa Cop in The Lego Movie. But taking over of Lt. Frank Drebin made famous by Nielsen is a whole different ballpark, making me wonder if he’s up for the task.

Well, Neeson manages to succeed in the role of Lt. Frank Drebin — Frank Drebin Jr., to be exact, since he’s the son of the late Frank Drebin — and play things straight like Nielsen. The latter is, of course, the king of deadpan comedy, where he has perfected it in the groundbreaking Airplane! and later, The Naked Gun trilogy.

But Neeson manages to hold his own with his gruff, don’t-mess-with-me persona and deep Irish growl, making him the right fit in The Naked Gun. Besides, Nielsen used to be a dramatic actor himself (movies like The Poseidon Adventure and Prom Night come to mind) before he transitioned into comedy roles in the early ’80s. This also mirrors Neeson’s similar career trajectory with his array of serious roles seen in the likes of Schindler’s List, Michael Collins and Taken.

So, The Naked Gun doesn’t waste time going straight for the action as a group of professional robbers led by Sig Gustafson (Kevin Durand) is robbing a bank. Enter Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., except that he’s making an entrance in a full disguise as a schoolgirl walking into the bank, before he takes down the robbers. It was a mildly funny moment filled with slapstick gags, and it’s nice seeing them again on the big screen, even though I wish the opening scene could have been better.

Fortunately, the movie improves once Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson) is introduced. Her character has to do with Frank’s recent case investigating the death of a car crash victim. Their first meeting at the police station is one of the highlights as Neeson and Anderson play off each other well. Not to mention, there’s an instant chemistry between them. The Naked Gun mostly works because of Neeson and Anderson, resulting in more truly hilarious moments, from Beth distracts everyone as she performs a jazz number on the stage, to the sexual innuendo in Frank’s apartment that instantly reminds me of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and the romantic montage of them spending quality time together.

For the latter, co-writer and director Akiva Schaffer levels up the familiar montage with a subplot that I didn’t see coming. Let’s just say, it’s bonkers stuff that Schaffer successfully pulls off one of the funniest moments in this legacy sequel. A Naked Gun movie wouldn’t be complete without a fair share of scenes spoofing other films.

And here, Schaffer includes parodies from movies such as Kingsman: The Secret Service and Mission: Impossible – Fallout. He also understands that a comedy like The Naked Gun shouldn’t be lengthy, and he made the right decision keeping it short. Like 85 minutes short, and he keeps the pace brisk with the jokes from physical humour to verbal puns rolling from one scene after another.

Not every joke lands as intended, like how many times one needs to repeat the coffee cup schtick? The Naked Gun also wasted Paul Walter Hauser, who doesn’t give much to do as Frank’s equally bumbling partner, Captain Ed Hocken Jr., who is also the son of the late George Kennedy’s character in the original trilogy. Don’t forget to stay for the credits as Schaffer achieves another comedy gold.

The Naked Gun may not reach the heights of the original trilogy, but at trying times have been going on around the world these days, such an irreverent comedy made for the big screen couldn’t be more timely.