The Naked Gun

Naked as ever

September 11, 2025

First of all, kudos to Liam Neeson for even trying to recreate the character of bumbling police sergeant Frank Drebin, a role made into a classic by the late great Leslie Nielsen in the most excellent Zucker-Abrams-Zucker cop spoof of 37 years ago (plus sequels). Given my (widely shared) distaste for lazy Hollywood reboots, I went in with a healthy sense of cynicism.

But, you know? Against all odds, it was actually quite a hoot! I won’t bother recounting the plot, because (1) plots in this kind of thing merely exist to hang jokes on, and (2) I don’t think I could. One spoiler you may miss: A certain key McGuffin shown early on is a device clearly labeled, “Primordial Law Of Toughness.” I’ll wait.

Here’s how it’s set up: Neeson’s the son of Frank Sr, Paul Walter Hauser that of the George Kennedy sidekick, and Pamela Anderson does Priscilla Presley duty. Danny Huston’s the megalomaniacal villain. But what, you are asking, of Nordberg, the luckless detective played originally by O.J. Simpson? Not telling, but it’s one of the movie’s most inspired gags.

Director Akiva Schaffer (The Lego Movie, Popstar) has done his homework and knows you have to be pretty smart to be this stupid. He honors the original’s madcap humor and rapid-fire delivery. The whole energetic thing is riddled with cameos, Easter eggs, malapropisms, non-sequiturs, and misunderstandings. Not every joke lands, but the next one is only seconds away.

These days, we all need a laugh. A silly one. This is it. See it in a theater, please. Not for the big screen; for the audience. P.S.: Don’t watch the trailers; they’re full of spoilers. But stay for the closing credits.

(85 min)