Review: "The Naked Gun"

The Naked Gun could be on track to be the sleeper summer comedy hit of 2025.

It is the latest installment of the popular Naked Gun movie franchise that included: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988), Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear (1991), and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994).

The movies were silly, outrageous fun, based on the 1982 comedy TV series Police Squad! starring Leslie Nielsen. Nielsen starred in all three of the movie spinoffs as the legendary, bungling Lt. Frank Drebin, before his death in 2010.  He seemed to have been born to play the iconic role. 

Like Peter Sellers and his Inspector Jacques Clouseau character in The Pink Panther series, it was the perfect match of actor and character.  It seemed unimaginable for anyone to play those parts (though Steve Martin tried to resurrect Clouseau following Sellers’ death in 1980).

Then came the movie trailers for a new Naked Gun movie starring Liam Neeson.  It was a bit of a surprise and shock, but you had to be reminded there was a lighter side of Liam Neeson who has played so many dramatic roles over the years.  If anyone had any doubts, they just needed to click on the “Liam Neeson Auditions to Play the Easter Bunny” video clip on YouTube.  It was devastatingly, deadpan funny.

Neeson wastes no time establishing himself as the son of Leslie Nielsen’s Frank Drebin in the opening scene.  It’s the familiar, tense bank robbery scenario with the bad guys discharging automatic weapons, roughing up tellers and customers and gaining entrance to the safe deposit boxes.  Police surround the building, guns drawn. 

In true Naked Gun fashion, a petite young, schoolgirl skips down the sidewalk and into the bank, ignoring the frantic warnings from the police.  Once inside, there is a moment of shock when the criminals turn to see the girl, who moments later, rips off her rubber mask disguise (Mission Impossible style) to reveal Liam Neeson, weapons blazing while still wearing the schoolgirl outfit and plaid mini skirt. 

© 2025 Paramount Pictures

It's one of the great comedy entrances of all time followed by a brilliantly staged fight scene and shoot-out between the cop in ridiculous drag and the army of thugs.

It’s funny, and the movie proceeds to deliver laugh-a-minute comedy throughout the movie’s 1 hour 25-minute run time.  The Naked Gun manages to do what few comedy sequels and spinoffs are able to achieve, namely, to be as funny as the previous movies that everyone loved. 

Police Squad! And the Naked Gun movies were their own brand of silly humor.  They were silly.  They were often stupid.  But they were undeniably funny.

They remained funny over the years with the exception of the proverbial poop in the punch bowl ripple effect, resulting from the real-life drama of O.J. Simpson who played the character of Nordberg.  Watching his performance in the three classic Naked Gun movies became cringe-worthy, forever spoiling the enjoyment of the stories and characters.  It’s tough to watch an accused murderer in a movie comedy, regardless of whether or not the glove fit.

Early on, there is a scene in which Liam Neeson’s character stands before a portrait of his father (Leslie Nielsen, as Frank Drebin) in a police gallery of fallen officers, speaking words of love and affection to his departed dad.   Likewise, Paul Walter Hauser (Ed Hocken, Jr) solemnly stands before the portrait of Captain Ed Hocken who was played by George Kennedy.  The camera finally cuts to Moses Jones standing before the portrait of O.J. as Nordbert. He just shakes his head and says “Naw.”

In the past, Frank Drebin’s love interest was played by Priscilla Presley.  Frank Jr’s love interest is Beth Davenport, played by Pamela Anderson, showing comedy chops that may surprise some of her fans.  She glams it up and lets it out.

Granted, the movie borrows from other classic comedies.  One gag involves a man watching Drebin Jr., his girlfriend and his dog, silhouetted through curtains apparently doing unspeakable things, when in fact, it’s all an optical illusion. Yes, it’s borrowed material, but it works, as do the other homages in the rest of the movie. 

It’s fun watching Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson doing something out of character in a movie determined to do whatever it takes to make you laugh.  It’s a franchise that’s still funny, after all these years.