Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, O.J. Simpson

Incompetent cop Frank Drebbin has to foil an attempt to assasinate Queen Elizabeth II.

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78% liked it

155,797 ratings

Critics

89% liked it

35 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: David Zucker

Release Date: December 2, 1988

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DVD Release Date: August 15, 2000

Stats: 4,814 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,814)


  • November 6, 2009
    Fresh from tackling terrorism in Beruit, with his own unique hands on style, Lt Frank Drebin is immediately called onto the job to investigate the near fatal shooting of a fellow officer. Det Nordberg was gunned down investigating a case in the docks and Drebin's investigation be...( read more)gins with the company that Nordberg was undercover with ? that of pillar of the community Vincent Ludwig. As Frank falls for Ludwig's PA, the beautiful Jane Spencer, he uncovers proof of a dastardly plot by Ludwig ? but who will believe him?

    If there is a man, woman or child on this earth who can say, hand on heart, that they just don't find Airplane, Naked Gun, Police Squad and the like funny then I would very much like to meet the sad sack just to discover what it takes to elicit a smile from them. Needless to say, this sort of film is very much my type of thing but not to the point where I cannot spot a good one from a bad one. In fact one of the big downsides of this film is that it did create many copies that just couldn't do it as well ? so we have had spoofs of all sorts of genres recently, but too many have more hits than misses.

    It is to this films credit that it has a very high hit/miss ratio and I enjoy it so much because the laughs keep coming. The material is very silly but it is the constant straight face that it delivers it with that is perfect and makes it work. Other films of the ilk have been overly silly without keeping this straight face. However, our characters here seem oblivious ? apart from the odd one who gives the other a funny look etc, and this makes the goings on even funnier. The plot is silly but that doesn't matter as you will be laughing too much to really care. Having seen it so often I have stopped roaring the way I did the first time but I still chuckled all the way.

    The writing and direction is spot on ? delivering sharp lines that make me laugh due to their sheer unexpectedness or the way they are so very out of place as well as sight gags that are imaginative and clever. However lets not forget a delivery by a very talented cast who make the material work. Praise goes to Nielsen in the lead; he may have worn his role thin over the years with typecasting and, shall we say 'less than perfect' material but give him the tools and he'll do you a job. He can be straight, he can dither or he can just be a clown and he does them all here ? his delivery is great whether it's action or reaction shots. Likewise I felt the rest of the cast did well even if most of them are given reaction shots to Drebin. Presley is straight and funny for it while Kennedy seems to fit into the material with ease. OJ doesn't have as much chance to be funny and seems a little stiff in the scenes he is in, but he is still good ? just pales a little when next to the others. I love Montalban and he uses his ooze really well in this film ? and his reaction shots are very good. The support is all good but it is Nielsen doing his (now) time-honoured turn as spoof-master than steals the show.

    Overall I love this genre and consider this film (indeed the series) to be up there with Police Squad and Airplane. It is not as hilarious as Airplane but it has way more hits than misses and is relentlessly funny. As a film it isn't perfect but anyone watching this who complains about plot holes, lack of character development or lack of narrative really have missed the point.
  • September 28, 2009
    Not as funny as Police Squad but it has its moments. I still love the scene with O.J Simpson falling down the stairs in a wheelchair. That probably says a lot about my childish sense of humour eh!
  • June 14, 2009
    Random movie, but I liked it.
  • May 21, 2009
    The best of the trilogy by far, Neilsen is so good at what he does best here.Ssimpson is also very good as Nordberg as is George Kennedy as the chief. The original series is also brilliant but this captures all the best gags and makes them look and feel better with alittle more b...( read more)udget. Much better than Airplane.
  • August 21, 2008
    "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 g

    ...( read more)urus 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.
  • November 11, 2009
    One of the all time fucking greats
  • October 27, 2009
    Not as good as the first.
  • October 25, 2009
    The Naked Gun movies are instant classics
  • September 23, 2009
    think this is one of the funniest movies ever. The Naked Gun is hilarious. Leslie Nielsen is fantastic he played Lt Frank Drebin as a outrageous cop,The scenes at the baseball park were the greatest.
  • September 22, 2009
    the best of the trilogy.

Critic Reviews


August 28, 2003
Edward Havens, FilmJerk.com

The jokes fly fast and furious, mostly holding up decades later.

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The film is as transparent as a third-grader with a water gun, and yet I would rather review a new film by Ingmar Bergman, for there, at least, would be themes to discuss and visual strategies to anal... full review

View more The Naked Gun - From the Files of Police Squad! reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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