The Naked Gun Movie Review: I was enjoying the jokes of the new reboot/legacy sequel in town, The Naked Gun, with a certain amount of guilt. As Neeson’s bumbling antics piled up the laughs, I found myself thinking, "Oh Ms Anderson! This is going to spawn a wave of bad comedies with Neeson in the lead, isn't it?" Ah, well - that’s the price to pay for laughing your guts out at this one. ‘The Naked Gun’ Movie Review: Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson’s Action-Comedy Sequel Gets Unanimous Praise From Critics!

Liam Neeson plays Detective Frank Drebin Jr, the son of Leslie Nielsen’s character from the original Naked Gun trilogy and the Police Squad! series before it. Of course, as far as I recall, there was never any mention of Drebin having a son. The mystery only deepens when Priscilla Presley, returning briefly as Drebin’s wife Jane Spencer, pops up in a seconds-long cameo looking no older than her supposed offspring. I suspect there was a joke about his muddled origins buried somewhere in the barrel of other gags that I might have missed.

'The Naked Gun' Movie Review - The Plot

The reboot is set 31 years after the last movie. Drebin Jr foils a bank robbery - without realising it’s a cover for a much sneakier theft - and is also called to investigate a car accident, he promptly declares a suicide. The victim’s attractive sister, Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson), whom Drebin is instantly smitten with, insists her brother was murdered.

Watch the Trailer of 'The Naked Gun':

Drebin soon realises both cases are connected, leading to tech giant Richard Cane (an aptly cast Danny Huston) and his world-ending diabolical scheme. Any similarities of Cane with any existing tech billionaire with self-serving interests is purely coincidental, NOT.

'The Naked Gun' Movie Review - Liam Neeson's Stunt-Casting That Works!

Neeson is not Nielsen - and thankfully, the film doesn’t try to make him replicate Nielsen’s exact style. Like his predecessor, the new Drebin narrates with a voice-over as erratic as his oblivious antics. Yes, Neeson’s casting raised plenty of eyebrows (mine included), but the man is not bad at deadpan humour while also game for some visual degradation.

For proof, see his cameo in Ted 2. Seth MacFarlane - who serves as a producer here - must have clocked that too, taking the risk of casting him as the new Frank Drebin. And it’s paid off quite handsomely. Just as Taken turned Neeson into an ageing action star back in 2008 when his dramatic career was slowing, The Naked Gun now positions him as an unlikely comic lead. The man surely catches some lucky breaks even this late in his career.

A Still From The Naked Gun

A big share of the credit goes to director Akiva Schaffer, who smartly uses Neeson’s straight-faced delivery as the perfect contrast to the chaos swirling around him. Given that Schaffer once turned a reject Sonic the Hedgehog (“Ugly Sonic”) into a scene-stealer in Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers, perhaps we should have trusted him all along.

'The Naked Gun' Movie Review - A Hilarious All-Round Performance

But it’s not just the casting where The Naked Gun scores - it’s an all-round terrifically funny film. From the much-promoted bank heist scene that kicks things off, the laughs rarely stop. The visual gags (including a familiar but still funny double entendre involving a dog), the parodic moments, the clever editing, the sly fourth-wall breaks, the literal wordplay - all fit together in a smorgasbord of silliness that never feels lazy or forced. Who says humour can’t thrive in a 'woke' world? This one proves it can - and occasionally still hit below the belt. Sometimes literally.

A Still From The Naked Gun

The screenplay by Schaffer, Dan Gregor and Doug Mand understands what made the original films work and updates the formula for modern sensibilities without losing the silliness. Some of my favourite bits include a Mission: Impossible–style set fake-out (or two, or more), a murderous, jealous snowman, and a bodycam reveal that shows way more about Drebin than you ever wanted. ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Movie Review: A Nostalgic Slasher Reboot That Swaps Scariness for Silliness!

A few jokes took me a second to get, and I was often laughing so hard I worried I might miss the next one. Even the subtitles sneak in gags. Blink and you’ll miss them - or just watch it again, no harm done.

A Still From The Naked Gun

If I had one gripe, it’s that the villain’s plan edges a bit too close to Samuel L Jackson’s scheme in the first Kingsman movie. A self-aware wink would’ve been nice. Cameos are sprinkled in judiciously - like a “Guardian” stepping in for a quick gag - without overwhelming the film.

Neeson might be the rare example of stunt casting done right, but Pamela Anderson is a revelation too, with Beth matching Drebin’s dry humour beat for beat. Paul Walter Hauser, playing the son of the OG trilogy’s Captain Hocken, could’ve been given more to do. CCH Pounder plays Drebin and Hocken’s ever-exasperated boss with admirable restraint, though even she isn’t spared the gag of a perpetually dozing husband she refuses to let anyone wake.

'The Naked Gun' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

The Naked Gun joins Creed, Top Gun: Maverick, and Mad Max: Fury Road as one of those rare reboots that honours its origins while carving out its own identity - and succeeding brilliantly. The task is particularly challenging here because making audiences laugh non-stop is no easy feat. Yet, Liam Neeson’s deadpan charm, paired with an equally superb Pamela Anderson, a sharp screenplay, and Akiva Schaffer’s inspired direction, delivers a riotously funny ride. Go on then - let’s make this a trilogy!

Rating:4.0

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 01, 2025 09:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).