The Naked Gun review: Neeson is no Nielsen – thank goodness

Thank you, oh merciful comedy gods, for delivering us that rarest of cinema creatures: a film – that’s a reboot of a trilogy that spun-off from a TV show that’s left the public conscious – that’s not only funny, but good. Yes, The Naked Gun is here.

It’s been over 30 years since Leslie Nielsen last graced our screens as Lt. Frank Drebin, the bumbling buffoon of the L.A. Police Squad that somehow always got the girl and put the bad guys away for life. Now, his son, Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson), is stepping in to fill his knife-concealing shoes.

As far as legacies go, Nielsen leaves a massive one: he was a guy who could reliably make audiences peal with laughter with nothing but a look, and his endless charisma would light up the set of any film he starred in. There’s no one else like him – and Akiva Schaffer’s revival of the iconic Naked Gun franchise – thankfully – understands this well.

Instead of aiming for imitation, Neeson leans into his recent tough-guy, Taken persona, gruffly delivering lines with the seriousness of a heart attack, which makes the sharply-written comedy really sing. It’s a choice that, in my opinion, makes the entire film work: it’s a tribute to the greats of old while also being its own, unique thing.

Watch The Naked Gun trailer:

The Naked Gun gets reloaded (and resuscitated)

Drebin Jr. is a police lieutenant of the modern era: an era of bodycams, AI, and self-driving cars – all of which are superbly lampooned. Tech mogul Richard Cane (a great Elon Musk send-up by Danny Huston) plots world domination alongside his futuristic product developments (infrared sperm-count enhancers, anyone?). Luckily, Drebin is out to thwart his evil plans – as long as he can stay on the force.

After a bank burglary bust gone awry, Drebin is re-assigned by the long-suffering Police Chief Davis (CCH Pounder). Soon, Femme Fatale Beth Davenport (a pitch-perfect Pamela Anderson) is commissioning him to look into her brother’s death, which she thinks is suspicious. Are the cases connected, or is Drebin getting tangled up in needlessly long red string?

As expected, Drebin sets about solving the case the only way he knows how: accidentally.

Liam Neeson – not so accidentally – nails the tone, making him the unexpected comedic hero of 2025. His partner in hilarity Pamela Anderson is equally fantastic, and the two of them have a genuine chemistry (IRL dating aside) that grounds what is a profoundly silly flick that otherwise could be at risk of floating away with foolishness.

I thought it worked so well that if Shaffer and co wanted to gear up for a sequel, I wouldn’t be opposed.

The Naked Gun has got the gags

Schaffer and his co-writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand do an impressive job of loading up the brisk 85 minute runtime with what feels like a gag every 30 seconds. Cackle-inducing lines like ‘UCLA?’ ‘I see it every day, I live here!’ and ‘Just goes to show you can’t fight City Hall.’ ‘No, it’s a building’ accompany elaborate sight gags that would make ZAZ proud.

Some of the gags are obvious – like a hat stand being mistaken for a voluptuous woman, or a car-retrieving crane being used like a claw machine – but in this spoof genre that’s par for the course. Just like the original trilogy, the background jokes are plenty, and warrant a second watch if you missed them the first time (and you probably will).

The highlight of the film arrives at the midway point in the form of a bizarre romance montage accompanied by Starship’s Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now that had me doubled over with laughter. I cannot tell you a thing about it because it would spoil all the fun (and I don’t think it would make sense anyway). Let’s just say, I have never heard a cinema full of critics and influencers laugh so hard and so unanimously.

Fans of the original should be satisfied, and newcomers won’t need to play catch-up with years of lore building. In that way, it works as both a continuation of The Naked Gun and a fresh start – exactly what every director aims for when reviving a beloved, decades-old franchise.

Aside from the great performances and gag-a-second script, the film works because it doesn’t rely on nostalgia for the original material, and loads up its lampooning with shots aimed directly at the issues of today, from Big Tech to police brutality. It’s silly fun – and it’s also a searing takedown of cop culture.

The Naked Gun is in cinemas from 21 August.

Discover more screen, games & arts news and reviews on ScreenHub and ArtsHub. Sign up for our free ArtsHub and ScreenHub newsletters.