Review of The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) by Roddersj04 — 27 Mar 2011

2005: Serenity is released, a continuation of a brilliant TV show which had little viewers and was cancelled after one season. But that wasn't the first instance of that happening. 1988: The Naked Gun is released, 6 years after the cancellation of the TV series Police Squad! There were a number of character changes, like Officer Norberg, a caucasian character, becoming OJ Simpsons character, Officer Nordberg, but are we really complaining? After returning from taking down a terrorist act made up of famous leaders, in one of the films best scenes, Lieutenant Frank Drebin begins working on a case where his best friend and partner, Officer Nordberg, is hospitalised and framed for dealing in heroin.

Along his investigation, Frank comes across his love interest, Jane Spencer (Priscilla Presley) and her employer, Ludwig (played by Khan himself, Ricardo Montalban), with the latter involved in a plot to assassinate the queen through post hypnotic suggestions.

When you read the plot, it sounds utterly ridiculous, and in any other movie, the plot would fail along with the film, but this movie makes it work. The Naked Gun knows exactly what it is, a slapstick humourous take on cop films, and it takes that ludicrous plot and makes it work, and it doesn't hurt that they add some hilarious moments.

One of the films best ever scenes includes an encounter at the hospital which follows up into a car chase. Another brilliant moment includes Frank investigating into Ludwigs office at night, which manages to include fire, a concrete **** (i'm not joking here) and a possible sexual harrasment case against the poor lieutenant.

The Naked Gun is also something which is rare nowadays: A good spoof movie. The reason it doesnt fail like the spoof movies which have been released in the past decade or so is because it doesn't try to spoof films directly, therefore not having any original or funny jokes.

It spoofs a genre, police films, and makes its own way rather than recycling plot points form movies in the same genre, and it manages to make original AND funny jokes. The Naked Gun stars the late, yet great Leslie Nielsen as Lieutenant Frank Drebin of the Police Squad.

He says some hilarious things and does a lot of slapstick throughout, but plays it all off completely straight faced, and it utterly works. Frank Drebin does some stupid things, but thanks to Nielsens brilliant performance, you can see that he doesn't acknowledge these things as stupid, just merely believes its all right in the line of duty.

Oh, and you have to give props for this snippet of dialogue: "When I see five men stabbing a poor man to death in plain view, surrounded by eyewitnesses', I shoot the bastards, thats my policiy" "That was a Shakespeare in the park performance of Julius Caeser.

You shot five actors, good ones!" I have never done this before, but this film deserves it. Below are a list of Youtube links to some of The Naked Guns scenes, if you want to see what the fuss is all about, if you want to revisit one of the best comedies of the 80s or if you just want a damn good laugh.

Enjoy Opening Scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oEA6zK_8u8 Hospital and Car Chase: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C29-gLZLt9s Fire and Concrete **** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by5i2NI6lvI Funniest Moments: http://www.

Youtube.com/watch?v=uMn9gvTgMFg Nordberg in Hospital: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n08mNz9f0FQ If by the end of this film you haven't laughed once at all, you must be a robot.