Mostly hits the target, despite being hampered by its revealing trailers, thanks to arresting turn from Liam Neeson.
Liam Neeson (‘Frank Drebin Jr’) stars in comedy reboot ‘The Naked Gun’
The original 1988 Naked Gun is one of my favourite comedies of all time.
Trepidation was in the air for this reboot, then, especially as leading man Liam Neeson isn’t renowned for his comedic chops.
Neeson plays Frank Drebin Jr , a hapless cop who gets caught up in a deadly scheme involving tech guru Richard Cane (Danny Huston).
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The thing that really hampers Naked Gun 2025, regardless of its overall quality, is that loads of the best gags were given away in the movie’s trailers.
As a result you find yourself immediately recognising them and waiting for the next one to come along.
Like the original, though, the jokes are absolutely relentless so even when something doesn’t land – like Frank’s toilet troubles – it won’t be long until another line or sight gag pops up to make you laugh.
Neeson takes his on-screen dad Leslie Nielsen’s approach of deadpan delivery and no selling the chaos around him and it works very well, while his action movie chops learn credence to Frank Jr’s physical attributes.
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Pamela Anderson ( Beth ) returns to the mainstream and while her chemistry with Neeson makes it easy to see why the actors have been linked romantically, her crime novelist adds very little to the plot and is best remembered for a riotous, bizarre sequence with Frank Jr at an alpine lodge.
Huston does solid villain work and all of his best scenes are played opposite Neeson, including bonding over the Black Eyes Peas.
But Paul Walter Hauser ( Ed Jr ) is wasted and I was hoping for a few more cameos from famous faces.
Director, and co-writer, Akiva Schaffer doesn’t completely stick to the Naked Gun formula and updates the TV cop-show spoof with tips of the hat to Mission: Impossible and heist flicks amid a slew of modern technology.
Rebooting a comedy classic was always going to be a thankless task but Schaffer and, particularly, the arresting Neeson hit the target more often than they miss.
Enough to welcome a sequel? Yes, why not? But don’t let revealing trailers handcuff your movie next time around.
● What are your favourite movie reboots?
Pop me an email at ian.bunting@reachplc.com and I will pass on your comments – and any film or TV show recommendations you have – to your fellow readers.
● The Naked Gun is available on DVD and Blu-ray from November 10.
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