The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! Reviews

(OK) Un gag mínimo por escena, a veces varios, como en la primera reunión de líderes mundiales estereotipados. El marco era la parodia de géneros y filones (policial, espionaje, film noir) pero también hay sátira cuando entra a tallar la reina, y el béisbol y todo lo que tritura el humor de los Zucker y Abrahams

Oh my, where do I start with this film. Okay, when I was first introduced to this film, I thought a "typical police spoof", which yeah...it was, but it was actually funny, and I laughed like hell throughout it, and that's all I ask in a comedy; to do what it promises. At the time, I hadn't seen Police Squad the television series, well, I wish I had. I wish I'd have found this entertaining film and the series years before, but I guess all in good time, it seems.

Leslie Nielson plays the hilarious, danger-prone Lieutenant Frank Drebin, he does a spectacular job at doing so. He is indeed the best character, which is exactly the reason he is the main one. After watching this, I knew Nielson was indeed another king of comedy, some may say he is the king of spoofs, but as I really am not that keen on most of them, I much prefer to call him one of the Kings of comedy, he sure deserves a spot there, that's for sure.

Yes, there is a few sex jokes etc. and although I detest that and find it very boring, the rest of the film which was utterly entertaining, made up for all that, but I'm sure some simple-minded adults would enjoy that stuff, I guess.

Overall, I was throughout entertained. I've watched this over 5 times, and would quite happily watch it again. If you hate spoofs, fine, but just bash one which deserves bashing and it certainly isn't this marvellous trilogy.

I have never been a fan of spoof movies but since it is a huge classic, I thought I would definitely enjoy this one. Eventually, I thought the whole thing was pretty disappointing... Of course, there were here and there some funny jokes but I can't say I was laughing throughout the whole thing. Like another Listal users pointed out in her review, maybe back then these jokes were timely but 25 years later, most of those jokes don't really work anymore. I guess it would be the same thing when people will watch 'Shrek' 25 years later, they will miss many pop-cultural jokes that were relevant when it came out. Furthermore, I find Leslie Nielsen more annoying than funny in his iconic part. I know, that's the whole point, he is supposed to be annoying but I didn't find him really funny, just plain stupid. Eventually, I spent most of the time watching the movie decrypting the jokes to get their meaning and I got most of them but my reaction was usually 'oh yeah! that's what they meant. Pretty clever, not bad, next joke...' and, once in a while, they would be something hilarious popping up and I would be laughing but that wasn't often enough. To conclude, I know, it is a classic but I didn't like it but if you love the genre, there is a good chance you will enjoy it more than I did.

As a team, ZAZ directed one classic movie Airplane! As solo, each directed at least one great film and David Zucker directed this. This was the first spoof film I saw and it changed my views on them completely. I used to hate spoofs / parodies like poison - maybe it was because of Scary Movie series and the other recent ones - but The Naked Gun showed me just how great and on-the-spot they just were. Although this film is nowhere near any of Mel Brooks' movies, I consider it to be one of the best spoof movies ever made and one that is genuinely funny and highly entertaining to the end. But of course, this is not Mel Brooks so it inevitably had quite tedious moments (the pen-tank scene and the statue scene with the dick) but who can forget the baseball scene? Now that's classic!

This is easily Leslie Nielsen's best role ever and subsequently, the best film he ever starred in, as the lead role. His character, Frank Drebin is one of the funniest I've ever seen and his deadpan delivery and great timing once again did the trick. Almost most of the supporting were fine but it was George Kennedy that won me over. I don't know why but his character was funny and his performance was good!

So, despite quite-tedious moments and tried-and-tested scenes, The Naked Gun is nevertheless one of the best. Too bad David Zucker is making those silly Scary Movie series now.

"Wilma, I promise you; whatever scum did this, not one man on this force will rest one minute until he's behind bars. Now, let's grab a bite to eat."

By the late 1980s, the ZAZ trio (consisting of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker) were officially the new gurus of the film spoof genre. Previously this crown was donned by Mel Brooks. After witnessing the ZAZ trio first flexing their ingenious comedic muscle in Airplane! (known in Australia as Flying High!), Brooks went on to make films like Spaceballs and Robin Hood: Men in Tights before retiring at long last. Well...it's a good thing he retired as he visibly became desperate for getting laughs and retaining his title. In the long run, his classic comedy cannot compare to the virtuosity of the ZAZ trio.

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (known more commonly as just The Naked Gun) arrived subsequent to the ZAZ trio reaching fame with Airplane! as well as Top Secret!. These two aforementioned films followed one straightforward philosophy: spoof a genre, screw the plot, cram the frame with endless laughs, and voila - comedy masterpiece!

The Naked Gun is fundamentally a spin-off of the criminally short-lived TV show Police Squad! that was cancelled after four episodes. The small but loyal cult following ensured a feature length movie would eventually be conceived. This film is everything one would expect from a ZAZ product...it's a guilty pleasure loaded with endless moments of comedic genius. Whether it be sight gags, witty lines, Leslie Nielsen's deadpan performance or random madness, this stuff will have you laughing until you cry. Heck, it's impossible not to laugh out loud at least 20-30 times. You're even guaranteed several occasions of falling out of your seat...rolling around on the floor howling with uncontrollable laughter. Better yet, it never gets old. It holds up after all these decades and after repeated viewings. The LPM (laughs per minute) meter is so high that it's impossible to pick up everything in one screening. You always notice something new. Why? It's simply genius! We're not talking about comedy as in Jim Carrey overacting, or Adam Sandler saying stupid things, or mindless sexual references...The Naked Gun encompasses clever parodying of the highest order.

I doubt a plot synopsis is overly necessary, as everyone has either seen the movie or heard everything about it via word of mouth. Nevertheless for the sake of my reviewing traditions, I will provide a short one. Frank Drebin (Nielsen) is on the case of...ah, screw it. If you settle in to watch The Naked Gun for a solid plot then you're watching it for all the wrong reasons. Here's an ultra quick summary: the film opens as Frank Drebin thwarts an evil scheme conceived by the world leaders who represent enemies of America (Gorbachev, Arafat...they're all there). Then Frank is on the case of a possible plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II of England who's coming to visit Los Angeles. Frank is the dumbest lawman since Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau. During his investigation into the Queen's imminent assassination, Frank runs into every oddball situation possible.

The Naked Gun successfully spoofs the cop thriller genre. They have all the clichés such as an elaborate conspiracy, the hero being right all along, and even an interior narration as the hero expresses his feelings while close-ups of his feet reveal him walking through the streets at night ("The attempt on Nordberg's life left me shaken and disturbed, and all the questions kept coming up over and over again, like bubbles in a case of club soda. Who was this character in the hospital? And why was he trying to kill Nordberg? And for whom? Did Ludwig lie to me? I didn't have any proof, but, somehow, I didn't entirely trust him, either. Why was the I Luv You not listed in Ludwig's records? And if it was, did he know about it? And if he didn't, who did? [walks onto grass] And where the hell was I?").

The ZAZ trio possess an impeccable talent for this style of comedy. In essence this film is a facsimile of Airplane! with different situations and different characters. It's the same variety of humour that permeates both films. Naturally, it is considerably welcome. Many contemporary comedies are overflowing with ludicrous penis or fart jokes, but The Naked Gun has no time for these stupid gags as it's too busy progressing to the next adroit joke or pun (most of which are absolutely hilarious). For example, a violent crime is being investigated after an officer is found wounded in LA harbour. The police, of course, place a chalk outline of where they found the fellow officer on top of the water.

The film also plays on words very effectively. Like when Frank's date explains "I practise safe sex". This is followed by the two of them rolling around on a bed together wearing gigantic condoms over themselves. Or there's Frank's date proposing a nightcap to him, to which he declines with "No thanks, I don't wear them". There's also a montage of hilarious baseball game bloopers, such as a man catching a ball before getting mauled by a tiger. Does this make sense to anybody? It isn't supposed to...if it makes sense then the filmmakers have done something gravely wrong.

If not any of these gags, there's always the decimation of America's national anthem. Leslie Nielsen's rendition of the national anthem is hilarious beyond words.
Granted, some of the film's jokes have lost their potency. There are a few that hit and miss, but there are too many successful jokes in between that we don't notice and don't care. You'll still be laughing 'til you cry, so why would there be cause for complaints?

It's hard to believe that Leslie Nielsen's career started when he was a serious performer. The ZAZ trio had him cast in their 1980 film Airplane!, and from that point forward Nielsen would never be taken seriously ever again. He was surrounded by performers who had their moments of comedy genius, but the film lived and died by Nielsen. The same policy applies here. Nielsen's deadpan performance is hilarious! No-one else could possibly undertake the role.
Priscilla Presley is wonderful as Nielsen's love interest. Not much acting required as she needs to just look beautiful for the male audience.
There are also a few cameos scattered around the movie, like a short appearance of "Weird Al" Yankovic and O.J. Simpson (yes, that O.J. Simpson).

At its core, The Naked Gun is one of the most enduring spoofs to emerge during the 1980s. The ZAZ trio deliver nothing but non-stop hilarity and genius comedy from start to finish. The LPM meter may not be as high as Airplane! (which literally had 5 gags running simultaneously sometimes), but The Naked Gun is exceptionally funny on its own merits. It's not perfect by any means - in fact the lack of plot is irritating - however the fact remains that this film was produced to provide laughs aplenty and it succeeds. The film is your only opportunity to witness: the Queen with her legs wrapped around Leslie Nielsen's back, Gorby minus his birthmark, The Ayatollah's secret Mohican haircut, and a person dangling off a building holding onto a rather intimate statue figure. All in all, it's a balloon-sized laugh riot!

For fans of these classic 1980s spoofs, this film is a must. It will sit nicely in your DVD collection (or Blu-Ray collection...whatever is applicable) alongside Top Secret! and Airplane! as well as this film's two sequels. Followed by The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear.

8.3/10

Naked Gun does not stand the test of time well. The gags have all been done to death, and better. The political humor is pretty thin, and only for those who have a memory of that time. I only laughed once or twice. And the scenes with O.J. Simpson really gave me the creeps. The slap-stick is just old, and not creative. And I even had a hard time not falling asleep. Not a good sign.