The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) Paramount/Comedy-Action RT: 85 minutes Rated PG-13 (bawdy jokes and innuendo, comic violence and sexuality, some mild language) Director: David Zucker Screenplay: Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Pat Proft Music: Ira Newborn Cinematography: Robert M. Stevens Release date: December 2, 1988 (US) Cast: Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, Ricardo Montalban, O.J. Simpson, Raye Birk, Nancy Marchand, Susan Beaubian, Jeannette Charles. Box Office: $78.8M (US)/$152.4M (World)
Rating: *** ½
After the success of their disaster movie spoof Airplane, Team ZAZ (Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker) went on to create the short-lived TV series Police Squad! It starred Leslie Nielsen as bumbling detective Frank Drebin, a member of LAPD’s Police Squad. Think of an inept version of Joe Friday from Dragnet. Their take on police procedurals (M Squad in particular) premiered in March 1982 only to be cancelled after four of its six filmed episodes aired. Nobody got what ZAZ was going for. It subsequently gained a cult following on video and reruns on cable. Ultimately, Paramount gave the guys the go-ahead to make a theatrical film based on the series.
How do you go about reviewing a movie like The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!? None of the usual rules apply. It’s a spoof of a particular genre, cop shows from the 60s and 70s. The plot is merely a formality, something to string together a series of corny jokes- e.g. one-liners, puns, sight gags and celebrity cameos from the likes of Weird Al Yankovic, Reggie Jackson and Dr. Joyce Brothers. The acting consists of actors playing it completely straight in the face of completely inanity. I suppose it comes down to one question: Is it funny? The answer in this case is an enthusiastic YES! It’s very funny in a silly, nonsensical kind of way. You’ll laugh at the dumb jokes and then at yourself for laughing in the first place. Therein lies the film’s brilliance.
Plot is secondary in The Naked Gun and even that’s an overestimation. The action centers on a goofy scheme to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II when she comes to L.A. for a visit. The “mastermind” behind it is Vincent Ludwig (Montalban, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan), a businessman involved in the sale and distribution of heroin. Lt. Drebin is assigned the case after one his colleagues, Det. Nordberg (Simpson, The Cassandra Crossing), is shot and left comatose by thugs working for Ludwig.
Along with his CO Captain Ed Hocken (Kennedy, Cool Hand Luke), Drebin tries to tie Ludwig to the illegal goings-on. He flubs it every time, of course. On the upside, he falls in love. The lucky (?) girl is Jane Spencer (Presley, Dallas). She works for Ludwig. He tells her to get close to Drebin which she does in the closest way possible. I never knew they made condoms that size.
Spoofs are always a case of hit-or-miss. Some gags hit the mark and some don’t. Tam ZAZ has the best track record. Airplane! (1980) is a classic. Top Secret (1984) is pretty good. The Naked Gun falls between the two, but lands closer to the top. It opens with Drebin infiltrating a secret meeting of the world’s top maniacs- e.g. Ayatollah Khomeini, Yasser Arafat, Mikhail Gorbachev, Idi Amin, Muammar Gaddafi and Fidel Castro- planning a big terrorist attack. He takes them down with his best Three Stooges moves before issuing a final warning, “Don’t ever let me catch you guys in America!” It’s a perfect wacky way to kick off a perfectly wacky movie. How else would describe a movie in which NY Yankees right fielder Reggie Jackson tries to kill the Queen who, by the way, throws a wicked first pitch.
The other scene that had me rolling was the cameo by John Houseman in his final role before his death (he died in October ’88). The stodgy British actor plays a driving instructor who advises a teenage girl on the proper technique for flipping somebody the bird. What a note to end a long and distinguished career on!
What truly makes The Naked Gun fire on all cylinders is Leslie Nielsen. Originally a serious actor who specialized in bad guy roles, he found new life as a comic actor after playing the doctor in Airplane. His deadpan manner makes him the perfect leading man in a comedy where nobody acknowledges the silliness that’s happening all around them. Listen to how he delivers lines. Watch how he usually keeps a straight face. He takes everything seriously which makes it hilarious for everybody watching. The rest of the cast follows his lead. The Naked Gun is comic perfection.
Once again, the most important thing about The Naked Gun is that it really is funny. It never feels forced nor does it try to force itself on you. To misquote John Houseman, it gets its laughs the old-fashioned way, it earns them. Say it in a stuffy accent, it sounds funnier.
