The Naked Gun review (2025)

The Naked Gun makes its return to theaters at a time when good comedies are in short supply. It’s been 31 years since the third installment of the Leslie Nielsen-led trilogy clearing a path for an entirely new generation to get hooked on the antics of Frank Drebin and the Police Squad.

In those 31 years comedy has gone from cunning and crafty to outright crass. Boundaries and good taste left the chat decades ago. In the last few years, a dramatic course overcorrection has occurred with viewers seeking out new ways to be outraged and offended in hopes of signaling the cancel button.

Fortunately, director/co-writer Akiva Schaffer and co-writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand are equal opportunity offenders with aims of inciting as much pearl clutching as possible. Does that make this reboot Naked Gun any good? It’s…decent enough though it hardly measures up to the highs of the original trilogy.

The jokes that connect, really land such as the payoff to the tribute to the original cast or Frank narrowing down a suspect. Others come off like everyone associated with this update of The Naked Gun is trying really hard — at times way too hard — to make it very funny.

That’s most evident with star Liam Neeson stepping into the role as Frank Drebin Jr., the well-intentioned, but frequently clueless detective. He’s the son of Nielsen’s Frank Drebin.

Nielsen was 62 when the first Naked Gun was released. Neeson is 73, so he comes off as more methodical and focused on being funny. Conversely, Nielsen’s signature deadpan style made look so effortless. Neeson seems in on the gag as if he’s waiting on the visual cue to prompt the audience to laugh while Nielsen’s Drebin seemed oblivious to all the calamity unfolding around him.

To some extent it’s due to Neeson playing against type. Nesson became an action hero icon with 2008’s Taken and starred in a number of tough guy, beat ’em up roles for the next decade plus. Neeson was a solid casting choice to play the role and does fine as this version of The Naked Gun’s detective without a clue.

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He’s joined by Paul Walter Hauser, who seems to be in everything these days, who plays his partner, Ed Hocken Jr. Hauser’s hairpiece in the film is certainly an interesting and bold choice.

They’re investigating a case that leads them to shady billionaire, Richard Cane (Danny Huston, who is clearly having a ball). Cane is clearly a bad guy since he has noted top henchman character actor Kevin Durand playing…his top goon henchman.

Also looking into Cane’s dealings is Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson), who thinks he might know something about her brother’s death. Anderson has shown excellent comedic timing in this type of comedy. Beyond a litany of parody films, she was very funny in V.I.P. comedy action series. Naturally Beth and Frank start seeing sparks as they have more in common than wanting to take down Cane.

Despite rumors of them potentially dating in real life, the on-screen chemistry is a little flat. The Frank/Beth pairing feels done more out of obligation because Nielsen and co-star Priscilla Presley had bizarrely amazing chemistry for such a slapstick comedy.

The Naked Gun is a film that might play out better upon repeated viewings to fully appreciate some of the sight gags and the deadpan humor. Schaffer sticks to the formula with a rapid-fire succession of varying levels of comedic sophistication.

Sometimes it’s easy chuckles like Frank being a horrible driver, a running gag like the endless supply of coffee or more cerebral humor. Given the proliferation of TikTokers and YouTubers doing a variety of stupid things for views, some of the goofier scenes don’t land the kind of laughs they would have even 10 years ago.

With that insight, it almost felt like Schaffer and his co-writers could have leaned heavier into the sharp dialogue exchanges and less into the low-hanging fruit jokes. There’s already too much competition online to wade into those waters.

The Naked Gun is probably going to be enjoyed a lot more by audiences who never experienced the originals. For longtime franchise fans, this reboot might send them back on a more consistently entertaining nostalgia trip.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Photo Credit: Paramount

Check out the original Naked Gun trilogy on Blu Ray now on Amazon.

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