Film: The Naked Gun
Cast: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu, Danny Huston.
Director: Akiva Schaffer
Rating: 2.5/5
Runtime: 85 min

Liam Neeson takes on the role of the son of Leslie Nielsen’s Frank Drebin and he is supposedly the only man with a particular set of skills... to lead the Police Squad and save the world. Giving him august company are Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser and Danny Huston.

This police procedural spoof, a legacy sequel, meant to resurrect ‘The Naked Gun’ franchise, the successful trilogy centering on Nielsen’s bumbling Detective Sergeant, much after Nielson’s passing, is a goofball comedy reboot that keeps you engaged while not exactly rolling down the aisles with laughter. Given that Neeson is well past his prime like Nielson was when he started the franchise, he makes for a neat fit but the writing and direction seem to be a tepid version of the original whacky, vintage comedy.

A Canadian actor/comedian Leslie Nielsen, with a career spanning 60 years, appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, and his ‘The Naked Gun’ film series, was actually based on his earlier short-lived television series Police Squad created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker. Neeson too has a huge body of work as a dramatic actor and action star but comedy has never been his forte until now. That’s not to say he isn’t good at it. His style is totally different but he still manages to nail the deadpan goofiness required for the role. The actor’s dead serious delivery as Frank Jr. who takes down bad guys and tackles a master criminal, works well within this film. His timing is perfect, self-mockery is evident in his interactions within the movie, plus he has the same initials as Leslie Nielson. The deep baritone is an added advantage.