It’s nice to know that Liam Neeson, now aged 72, has found another franchise, one which utilizes a whole new particular skill set, but one that does not force him into the rigors of a standard action flick. In THE NAKED GUN, a reboot of the POLICE SQUAD films without any of the original writers or directors involved, he essays the role of Frank Drebbin, Jr., and picks up where Leslie Nielsen left off as Drebbin, Sr. with all the elan and goofiness required. The result is an extravaganza of fearless puns, bold non-sequiturs, and absurdity delivered with gusto as tropes are skewered, and cultural barbs are deployed with wild abandon.
Frank, known for his unconventional and controversial methods, finds himself embroiled in the middle of a nefarious plot organized by Richard Cane (Danny Huston), an egotistical tech billionaire (in cinema, are there any other kinds?) out to remake the world to his liking. That he will be using people’s smart phones against them is a puckish touch, along with the excruciating examination of the shortcomings inherent in infra-red surveillance. His investigation, one that refuses to recognize boundaries, puts Police Squad’s funding in jeopardy, while the sister of one of Cane’s victims, Beth (Pamela Anderson) may be the key to the mystery and to Frank finding love again. It if did nothing more than add to the already rich vocabulary of the double entendre, and it does, it would have earned a place in comedy heaven.
The plot, of course, is just an excuse for rapid-fire jokes that arrive before the last one has finished provoked unrestrained mirth. There are call-outs, including a stuffed beaver, and new classics, prime of which is Anderson scatting as if her life depended on it. She’s a revelation of comic timing and delivery. Gussied up like a femme fatale from classic noir, she’s game, she’s comely, and she can sell a joke with a straight face. As for Neeson, he proves a master of nonchalant deadpan and delivery that is self-referential while also eschewing irony. Damn. The man can act. And he can rock a micro-mini kilt. Just saying. As the villain of the piece, Huston is slick, suave, and finds that sweet spot between parody and melodrama. Think perfectly cured ham. He, too, hits all the right notes as he dominates a fat cigar or delivers the de rigeur exposition of his nefarious plan while bathed in a cliché of dramatic lighting. Everyone here didn’t just understand the assignment, they raised it into an apotheosis of farce that never slackens. It just giddily builds on itself until after the final credits roll. Even the running joke about the ubiquity of to-go coffee in the lives of police officers is carefully thought out such that it never gets old. Special kudos for not just acknowledging OJ in the original films but also leaning in and daring us to laugh.
THE NAKED GUN will leave you with visions of an evil snowman, crab hands, and balloons of doom. And you will be glad it did. Buckle up, buttercup, and start the countdown now for the sequel.
Your Thoughts?