#REVIEW: “THE NAKED GUN”

By Mr. Will Wong

After an attempt to bring back THE NAKED GUN again back in 2009 which got derailed, fans at long last get a revival worth waiting for! Akiva Schaffer helms and co-writes this fast-moving, crime-spoofing, Slapstick Comedy which is equal parts genius as it is funny and at once incredibly-stupid! And we mean that in the best way.

Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) takes the reins from his legendary father, matching his deadpan demeanour and brilliant physical comedy, with a modern sense of humour with several references that someone who grew-up in the ’90s and 2000s would totally get. Pulled-in to help with a bank robbery, Frank Jr. uncovers that the crime is actually tied to something much more sinister at the hands of mastermind Richard Cane (Danny Huston), who might be responsible for the death of Beth‘s (national treasure Pamela Anderson) brother. She calls upon Frank Jr. for his help and despite swearing off love after losing his wife, Frank might finally have met his match.  Will Frank get justice on Richard Cane, or will the latter succeed in taking over the world with his evil intentions?

THE NAKED GUN thrives much in part to its fantastic Script. Schafer, and Co-Writers Dan Gregor, and Doug Mand deliver rapidfire jokes relentlessy. Just as you are catching your breath from the previous laugh, they’re already two steps ahead with the next!

Neeson is a perfect choice for Frank Jr. with a brooding intensity, allowing him to go off on nonsensical tangents that  are maniacally funny.  Anderson exemplifies pitch-perfect casting giving a tempered silly-sultry that pairs perfectly with Neeson. Is it wrong to want them together actually IRL?

Kevin Durand (yet another great Canadian contribution) is great here as Cane’s head of security. Paul Walter Hauser in a supporting role to Frank Jr. also is so effective, but like in The Fantastic Four: First Steps in which he also currently can be seen, he is given much too little to work with again here.

There is something so comforting and familiar about THE NAKED GUN. It is a return to tough guys of an era past who don’t need permission to do what’s right. Schafer manages to make this feel aligned to the spirit of the original films that we loved so much, nailing even the Film Noir spoofy moments. And in that vein, this fourth installment is indeed a smashing success, giving fans exactly what they want and need. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to laugh for 90 minutes straight! It is impossible for this not to spark talk of yet another installment. This Naked Gun fires!

Paramount Pictures Canada release THE NAKED GUN in theatres August 1, 2025.