The Naked Gun – Film Review
by Fran Winston

Directed by: Akiva Schaffer
Starring: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, Danny Huston

In cinemas August 1

This feels more like a continuation than a reboot of the legendary Naked Gun franchise, given that Liam Neeson stars as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. –  the son of Leslie Nielsen’s character in the original Police Squad TV show and Naked Gun movies.

Although these days he is best known as a movie hard man, Neeson has never been afraid to poke fun at himself. He famously had a hilarious cameo in Ted 2, and let us not forget he got soaked while in his underpants on Ellen’s worldwide syndicated TV show in 2012. In that instance, he was raising money for charity.

Suffice to say, he clearly has a sense of humour. However, the Naked Gun movies have always been the lowest common denominator rather than cerebral comedy. Many of the jokes are quite literal – actually taking a chair when someone says take a seat, for example. This requires a deadpan straight man rather than a comic actor. And Liam Neeson plays Drebin as if he were remaking Taken.

One of the world’s best-known sex symbols, Pamela Anderson, is also on board as his femme fatale love interest. It’s actually quite refreshing to have a somewhat age-appropriate romance on screen instead of pairing Neeson with a ditzy 20-something.  With Danny Houston as the bad guy, Richard Cane and Paul Walter Hauser as Drebin’s colleague, Capt. Ed Hocken Jr. (the son of George Kennedy’s character in the original), this boasts quite a stellar cast.

Schaffer must surely have had some strange conversations asking them to do some of the dafter elements of this flick – Liam Neeson dressed as a schoolgirl is something you can’t unsee – but they all gamely partake.

To say this is extremely silly is an understatement. Forget the plot – this is more about how much slapstick and satire they can squeeze in. But strangely, it works. While not as fresh as the original movie, this is so stupid in places you can’t help but laugh out loud.

Perhaps it is a case that the world is in such chaos, we just need some nonsense to escape from it for 85 minutes. It doesn’t outstay its welcome, and the jokes don’t wear thin. While not exactly comedy genius, and filled with cliches, this is perfect entertaining escapism that is funnier than it deserves to be, given the baseline of the jokes.