Following in the footsteps of his bumbling father, Detective Frank Drebin Jr. must solve a murder case to prevent the police department from shutting down.
Director: Akiva Schaffer
Cast: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, CCH Pounder, Danny Huston
Release Date: August 1, 2025
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Rated PG-13 for crude/sexual material, violence/bloody images and brief partial nudity.
Runtime: 1h 25m
Review:
The Naked Gun series springs back to life with a barrage of visual gags and word play jokes that recapture the comedic energy of the original Abrahams/Zucker productions starring Leslie Nielsen. Director Akiva Schaffer does a strong job of recreating the goofy energy that permeated the older film right from the start and he rarely lets the foot off the gas. The throw everything at the wall approach works incredibly well as jokes and gags fly at such a fast pace that it never lets the audience linger too long on anything. The jokes that land and those that don't are thrown onscreen in steady succession with the cast being more than game to roll with it. Liam Neeson is the linchpin to it all as he takes the reins of the legendary Leslie Nielsen with incredible ease. Neeson extended stay as onscreen tough guy works wonderfully here as he's clearly having a blast embracing the absurdity of the script and action playing out in front of him. There’s something about his gravelly voice delivering some of the most inherently silly lines of dialogue that recalls Nielsen's pitch perfect deadpan delivery. It helps that he shares strong comedic chemistry with Pamela Anderson who displays some impressive timing. They clearly are having a ball onscreen together and that energy comes through the screen. The supporting players don't get as much time to shine with Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, CCH Pounder and Danny Huston doing the most with their limited screentime. Huston in particular seems to be channeling Ricardo Montalban from the 1988 film which the film should have used to a greater extent. His character's masterplan seems lifted from the original Kingsman film which makes the last act a bit clunkier than what came before it. Still, it’s hard not to appreciate how well 2025’s The Naked Gun revives this particular style of comedy.
B+
