The Naked Gun returns! Still arrestingly funny, it’s reloading slapstick for a new generation and proving parody is far from dead.
There was an era of film making which gave us some genuinely funny films that have since vanished. Films like Airplane!, Hot Shots and the original Naked Gun films. They all had this incredible visual humour that modern films generally just can’t produce. So it was with some trepidation that I went to see the new Naked Gun film with Liam Neeson as the titular character.
I am however happy to report… that I loved it! The humour was very much in line with what the past films had to offer and there where numerous running gags from coffee cups appearing out of nowhere, to a unique take on ‘sparkling’ water! Just like the previous films, it’s that unique visual humour that makes them stand out from other films in the comedy genre.
Liam Neeson isn’t the first person I would have chosen to lead this film as he is not your stereotypical dead pan ‘funny’ actor. He is normally your older action hero type or father figure, however he slotted into this role perfectly – playing Frank Drebin Jr. (Son of the original character played by the late great Leslie Nielsen). He’s joined by Pamela Anderson as new character Beth Davenport, who again took to this role with gusto, lending some genuine chemistry to the film (which has now spilled out to the real world).
I think because the pair aren’t traditionally ‘funny’, it makes the whole thing work and provides a heart to the film. It’s similar to when Nielsen played the doctor in Airplane!… he was never ‘winking’ at the audience, it was the deadpan delivery of the lines that made him such a comedic hit. So testament must go to the writers for giving Neeson and Anderson a script that let them be funny, but without it being forced!
The plot itself is fairly straightforward and has some hilarious real world parallels. Billionaire tech mogul Richard Cane, (Danny Huston), utilises a seemingly innocent piece of software to create chaos and bring humanity back to its barbaric origins. So it is up to Police Squad and Lt Frank Drebin Jr. to save the day! However, when Drebin comes under scrutiny for causing some legal liabilities, he has to go solo to get the job done! It’s not the strongest plot and is fairly predictable, but this is not a bad thing necessarily. The original films were equally silly, and you don’t go into this kind of film wanting a cerebral workout.
The film does have some moments that I think weren’t particularly necessary, and they wouldn’t have been missed if they were cut. However, they added context to the budding relationship between the two main characters. On a whole I would say that this film does do the lineage justice. It is a great comedy film which is so rare now and I can’t think of a film that is written to just be funny in today’s cinema offerings. We get lots of comedy films but they get bloated and may only have singular funny moments. Naked Gun sits above these and provides a nice short runtime (which is very rare nowadays to have a film under two hours!). If you’re looking for a swift ninety minutes of cinematic fun and laughter, then I can highly recommend seeing this film.
Author: Tom, Bath Store
