Frank Drebin Jr (Liam Neeson) is the star of Police Squad - until a little rule-breaking gets him bumped out of the unit, and on the outs with his boss (CCH Pounder).
Now stuck solving road accidents, Drebin’s life/career appears over - until a suspicious crash victim reactivates his old skill set…
They figured it out.
After years (decades?) without spoof movies, The Naked Gun makes it feel like they never went away.
The movie knows exactly what it is doing with Neeson, and is a prime example of how the film never feels like a straight rip of the original.
Neeson is not doing a Nielsen impression, but the performance is based on the same idea: take a dramatic actor and place him in a context that is the complete opposite of the gravitas said performer is bringing. And never wink at the audience.
The film leans into Neeson’s reputation as an action star and the inherent gravitas he brings to everything.
It does not even shy away from criticising the police - there is a bleedingly sharp gag about police shooting black people, and a hilariously vicious punchline toward the end about the lack of accountability.
The film is smart enough to understand the formula of ZAZ without repeating it - instead it uses it as a launching pad.
The gags are original and very funny.
Pamela Anderson is a fine foil as Neeson’s love interest, getting to participate in the silliness as much as her co-star.
There is one montage to a song that strains a little - a surreal detour into nineties thriller parody that feels a little too broad.
The gag rate might be nearly as high as the original but they never stop trying - and they are actual jokes, played dead seriously by people who know better than to wink at the audience.
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