Liam Neeson’s police lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr. investigates the death of Pamela Anderson’s brother in this crime parody.
The comedy spoof is making a big-screen comeback thanks to Akiva Schaffer’s revival of The Naked Gun franchise.
Leslie Nielsen famously starred as Detective Sergeant Frank Drebin in the TV series and three Naked Gun films in the 1980s and 1990s. After lying dormant for 30 years, Liam Neeson picks up the mantle, starring as his son, Lt. Frank Drebin Jr.
In this crime spoof, Frank investigates the death of a software engineer called Simon Davenport. He believes it was a suicide, but his sister Beth (Pamela Anderson) is certain he was murdered.
As Frank carries out his investigation, he realises Simon’s death is connected to a recent bank heist where an important gadget, a P.L.O.T. Device (yes, really), was stolen. The plot thickens!
If you’ve seen previous Naked Gun films, you’ll know that the plot is very much secondary to the gags. Do not expect a strong, satisfying police procedural – that is simply the vehicle for the silly slapstick, sight gags and wordplay.
The jokes come thick and fast from the outset, and there are so many – and some of them are in the background – that you might miss them the first time.
While the laughs are constant in the first half, there’s a lull in the second, when the film becomes more focused on resolving the plot. It’s still amusing, but the laugh-a-minute pace slows down.
Some of the highlights include a heat vision scene that depicts Frank and Beth in what looks like very rude positions (like the shadow scenes in Austin Powers) and a bizarre but hilarious montage involving the couple in a romantic situation with a snowman.
Neeson is best known for his serious action movies, so it’s a stroke of genius casting him in a crime spoof. Equally, Anderson is the perfect person to poke fun at the femme fatale trope, given her earlier career.
Rather than dial up the comedy with their performances, they play it straight and refuse to acknowledge the silliness of the situation. The jokes are more effective because the actors take every scene seriously (even though they’re anything but) and deliver their lines in a deadpan manner.
You can enjoy this legacy sequel without seeing the original, but you won’t be able to appreciate the callbacks and cameos. However, the story and characters are new; it’s just the immature tone and silly comedy that remain the same.
The comedy spoof disappeared for a while because they stopped being funny, so kudos to Shaffer for bringing it back in a major way with this genuinely hilarious movie.
Make sure you stay for the entirety of the credits to enjoy Neeson’s song and see how many gags you can spot among the names.
In cinemas from Friday 1st August.
By Hannah Wales.
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