Week 5: Naked Gun
David Zucker
1988
85 mins
Thursday 20th October, The Study, Teviot
“Drebin!”
“Frank!”
“You’re both right”
Developed from the comedy TV Series ‘Police Squad!’(starring many of the same cast members), The Naked Gun lampoons classic cop films in the same way its predecessor ‘Airplane!’ (also directed by Zucker) ridiculed the disaster movie. While ‘Airplane!’ was the film that introduced the deadpan genius of Leslie Nielsen to the world (he had previously been known primarily as a serious actor in such classics as ‘The Forbidden Planet’) it was The Naked Gun and its sequels which cemented his reputation as a great comic.
The Naked Gun centres around Lt. Frank Drebin of Police Squad as he attempts to foil the assassination of Queen Elizabeth II, who is on a tour of Los Angeles. As he attempts to uncover the culprit behind a series of hypnotically controlled assassins, Drebin finds himself drawn to Jane Spencer, personal assistant to mysterious businessman Vincent Ludwig. Of course, this is merely a framework around which is draped some of the finest puns, slapstick, and double entendre you’ll find in cinema.
It’s only right that the most memorable aspect of the Naked Gun is the sheer volume of jokes crammed into its 85 minute runtime. In fact, it’s likely you’ll miss some of the vast array of banter on offer as Drebin lurches form one crime scene to the next, unaccountably solving the case despite displaying an extraordinary degree of ineptitude. Nielsen truly shines in the role, his acting background really paying off in such a madcap role, giving him a bizarre measure of gravitas while accentuating the joyous absurdity of the situation.
This is not one to miss folks
Written by Lauchlan Hall