Psycho's Movie Reviews #104: The Naked Gun Trilogy (1988, 1991, 1994)
- Dec 1, 2021
- 6 min read
The Naked Gun is a series of American crime comedy films, created by Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (ZAZ). All three films are based on their earlier television series Police Squad!, which was cancelled after six episodes.
Films:
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
Detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) tries to uncover a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II, who is on a state visit to the USA. The main suspect is Vincent Ludwig, a rich businessman (Ricardo Montalbán), who uses a hypnotic device to turn others into murderers. As with previous ZAZ spoof comedies, the plot was mostly culled from another—more serious—movie. In this case, it was Telefon wherein people were triggered into assassins via hypnotic phone calls (indeed, dialogue in the post-hypnotic suggestion demonstration scene is copied word-for-word from Telefon).
On the case, Drebin falls in love with Ludwig's assistant, Jane Spencer (Priscilla Presley). She knows nothing about Ludwig's plot, and after the pair spends the night together, Jane helps with Frank's investigation.
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991)
Frank discovers that Jane's new boyfriend, Quentin Hapsburg (Robert Goulet), is involved in an evil plan to kidnap Dr. Albert S. Meinheimer (Richard Griffiths), a scientist whom President George H. W. Bush (John Roarke) has chosen to determine a new national energy policy. Hapsburg plans to kidnap the real Dr. Meinheimer and replace him with a lookalike named Earl Hacker (also portrayed by Griffiths) who will endorse an energy policy according to the dictates of the energy lobby.
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994)
In the third film of the series, Frank is married to Jane, and he has retired from Police Squad. The film introduces the criminal Rocco Dillon (Fred Ward), who is stuck in prison. He is contacted by someone called Papshmir to be given a target for a bombing. Frank is pulled out of retirement. He goes undercover pretending to be a prisoner named "Nick 'the Slasher' McGurk Jr., III" at the jail where Dillon is being held, and they break out of jail. Outside they are escorted by Dillon's gangster mother (Kathleen Freeman) to his country retreat, where Frank also meets Rocco's voluptuous moll (Anna Nicole Smith). The gang plots to blow up the Academy Awards. When Jane arrives looking for Frank, she is taken hostage.
Future
On December 13, 2013, Paramount announced that a reboot of the franchise was in development, with Ed Helms starring as Drebin and Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant co-writing the screenplay. However, on January 11, 2014, Garant stated that the film will be more of a sequel than a reboot. In March 2015, David Zucker referred to the film as more of a reboot than a sequel, stating that it will not have the same spoofing style as the original series, while disagreeing with the choice of Helms as the lead, saying "I would want somebody who had never been in a comedy". Zucker was approached by the studio to produce the film. In August 2015, Helms gave an update on the film stating "You have to make something that a contemporary audience is going to like. We haven't seen many of those slapstick movies in a while, so I'm not sure what the right angle is on it", echoing Zucker's comments on the film's modern take. Zucker stated in 2017 that he was working on a script for a fourth Naked Gun film with Pat Proft. He described the film's plot as being about the son of Frank Drebin.
Box office performance
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! December 2 1988, $78,756,177 /// $61,000,000 /// $140,000,000
The Naked Gun 21⁄2: The Smell of Fear, June 28 1991, $86,930,411 /// $105,300,000 /// $192,230,411
Naked Gun 331⁄3: The Final Insult March 18 1994: $51,132,598 /// $71,300,000 /// $122,432,598
Total: $216,819,186 {Naked Gun 1} /// $237,600,000 {Naked Gun 2} /// $454,419,186 {Naked Gun 3}
Critical and public response
Each film is linked to the "Critical response" section of its article.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!; 87% (54 reviews) 76 (13 reviews) A−
The Naked Gun 21⁄2: The Smell of Fear; 57% (40 reviews) 65 (21 reviews) B+
Naked Gun 331⁄3: The Final Insult; 54% (35 reviews) 63 (21 reviews) B+
My Reviews:
{I just love silly comedy; every movie that Leslie Nielson has been in has never failed to make me laugh out loud}
Leslie Nielson's death last November was a big shock to me. Sure he has been in some bad films, such as 2001: A Space Travesty, but he had also made some quintessential classics such as Airplane, the only film of his career I consider better than this, and the Naked Gun series, of which this is the best. Whatever the outcome of the film, that doesn't stop me from considering Nielson a comedy genius.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is fast, furious, zany and most importantly, enormous fun film. While it looks great, is wonderfully directed, brilliantly paced with seldom a dull moment and has energetic music and a fun story, it is the humour and acting that really makes this film so good.
The dialogue is deliciously dry-witted, and the plentiful juvenile gags never cease to be hilarious. Nielson gives one of his career's best performances in a wonderfully deadpan characterisation as an likable inept character. The support performances from Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy and OJ Simpson are equally great, but special mention has to go to Riccardo Montalban who just oozes cool.
Overall, a hilarious film. Forget rubbish like Disaster Movie, 2001:A Space Travesty, Meet the Spartans and Epic Movie and watch the classic spoof movies like Young Frankenstein, Airplane, Galaxy Quest and this. You won't regret it! 8/10
When it comes to comedy, the original Naked Gun is a classic. This sequel may not quite be up to par, it is too short for my tastes and one or two of the gags come so fast you are in danger of missing them, such as the items on the hostess's tray, in the blues' cafe but it is very funny and enjoyable.
The production values are crisp as usual, with good photography and editing and striking location work. The dialogue is dumb, but in a good way, this is not the dumb humour where it is so stupid you forget to laugh, this is the dumb humour that is silly but still makes you smile and laugh.
The story is quickly paced and never fails to interest me, while the gags on the whole are superbly timed and there are lots of them. My personal favourites are the wonderful send-up of the pottery scene from Ghost and the headline proclaiming that Elvis is alive and well, also the beginning sets the tone of the film very well. With most of the original cast returning and some new faces along the way, the cast are a delight, and the characters are fun. Leslie Nielson once again gives an inspired performance, and Priscilla Presley and George Kennedy give nice support. Also strong are Robert Goulet(as the villain) and Lloyd Bochner, and seeing Richard Griffiths was fun too.
All in all, very enjoyable; 7/10
The first film is a classic, the second while inferior is very enjoyable and this one is also very funny if for me the weakest of the series. It could have been longer, and there are moments in the movie where it does rely a little too much on the jokes and slapstick of the previous two. However, the dialogue is endearingly dumb and silly still, and the film is filled with gags and most work, the best for me being Frank's antics during Zadora's musical number and Frank wreaking havoc at the Oscars. The story is fast-paced and fun, the production values are of good quality, Priscilla Presley is strong support and there are some neat cameos from Pia Zadora and Fred Ward. And once again, Leslie Nielson is wonderfully deadpan.
All in all, a very funny movie; 6/10
Overall
After the cold open, remarkably catchy theme music presides over one of the most recognizable, amusingly-edited credits sequences of any movie (involving a flashing red police siren intrusively cruising through various locations). This is followed by a nonstop succession of jokes, ranging from verbal wisecracks to bathroom humour to destructive accidents (including the decimation of priceless antiques and a high-speed car chase involving a student driver) to James Bond (or “Get Smart”) gizmos (like the Swiss Army Shoe) to a grandly pitiful rendition of the national anthem to goofy montages to inappropriate statues (“sexual assault with a concrete dildo”) to outrageous slapstick to over-the-top overkill violence to classic movie references. The laugh-out-loud ludicrousness of every skit is uncommonly effective. And with so many little visual gags, repeat viewings never lose their appeal.
The dialogue is practically perfect in its silliness, made more impressive considering the rapid-fire and persistently convoluted abundance of one-liners and facetious remarks – countless opportunities to fall flat. Yet the abrasive insensitiveness, idiotic non sequiturs, questionable negotiation tactics, sexual innuendo (“Nice beaver! Thanks, I just had it stuffed”), and sarcastic film noir narrations never struggle in their hilarity. And most of it is delivered by Nielsen, with a superbly contrasting straight face (alternating with glances at the camera and dumbfounded expressions). Based on the short-lived TV series by David Zucker (who serves as director here), Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams (the men behind “Airplane!”), this highly influential feature would enjoy commercial and critical acclaim and two additional theatrical sequels, as well as frequent consideration as one of the greatest comedies in cinema history; 10/10.
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