Plot: What’s it about?
Based on a failed television show called “Police Squad”, The Naked Gun didn’t have a lot of history. Police Squad was up against Magnum P.I. and Fame on the other networks, and this was in the days of “the big three”. Needless to say, after the first episode, the directors found out that it was cancelled, even though three more of the episodes (of the original six) ran. When it came time to make a movie, another slapstick, goofball movie that is, it was none other than Leslie Nielsen (who also starred in the series) that took the lead role as Lt. Frank Drebin. Now, Leslie Nielsen used to be a dramatic actor, and I’m sure he could be again, but he seems content to spend the rest of his acting career doing slapstick parodies of other movie…but we all still laugh, so it will likely be a continuing trend. From his days in movies like “Forbidden Planet” and “The Poseiden Adventure” he was a nice (if not perfect) fit for the lead role; also a role that was sort of spoofed in the earlier Airplane! movies.
We meet Frank Drebin as he’s right in th middle of an undercover operation somewhere in the Middle East. I personally don’t know what a police officer would be doing in that situation, but if you try and make sense of any of The Naked Gun movies, you’re missing the point entirely. Another serious actor, George Kennedy (who won an Oscar for Cool Hand Luke), plays his parter Ed. What the whole thing boils down to is that Police Squad has been chosen to protect Queen Elizabeth on her visit to Los Angeles. Drebin and the gang are to be on their best behavior, while at the same time trying to protect Her Majesty’s safety. The one thing that’s standing in their way is local millionaire and businessman, Vincent Ludwig (Ricardo Montalban). Ludwig has devised a scheme, for several millions of dollars, that can turn any normal person into an assassin by the flick of a switch. It’s up to Drebin and Police Squad to stop him at any cost, but at the same time convince the Commissioner that it’s indeed Ludwig that wants to take the Queen’s life. Ludwig’s assistant, Jane (Priscilla Presley) is assigned to cooperate with Police Squad in any way, and in the midst of this also falls in love with Frank. In a nutshell, that’s it. What is so funny about these types of movies (the same team also did the Airplane! movies) is the stuff that happens for no apparent reason, the stuff in the background and the way that no one seems to really grasp what is actually happening.
A major member of the cast is O.J. Simpson, the one and only. Playing the role of Detective Nordberg, he is quickly and in a very humorous way, put in the hospital. While The Naked Gun may not be exactly what you’re looking for in terms of plot and acting, it’s probably one of the funniest movies to ever grace the screen. It’s in my top five for sure. While some of the jokes are a bit dated, this movie contains the timeless slapstick humor that compares to the likes of “The Three Stooges”, stuff that is timeless. If you’ve never seen any of these movies, then treat yourself. Fit for a person of any age, this movie will have you rolling. Like the quote on the box says “…impossible not to laugh.”
Video: How does it look?
Paramount has given this entire series brand new anamorphic transfers, and they look very good. The Naked Gun is presented in it’s original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. While the print suffers from a few flicks and bits of artifacting and grain, on the whole it looks very good. Colors and fleshtones are very natural and there is a wee bit of shimmering going on. I have personally owned this movie in every format (VHS and LD) and can tell you that the picture compared to the previous versions is night and day. While there are many DVD’s that look a lot better, there are a lot that look worse. Nice job.
Audio: How does it sound?
Anoter thing Paramount does is that it remasters a lot of it’s titles for the new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Originally in a Dolby Stereo mix, the sound is natural and not overly agressive. While I even caught a few surround effects, the majority of the action is limited to the front three channels. Dialogue is very clean, but has a few hiccups (nothing to worry about) that deter from it a bit. Even some gunshots and explosions sound as good as some of today’s modern soundtracks. On the whole, this is a very nice addition ot this disc.
Supplements: What are the extras?
You know how all of our DVD reviews are always saying “…would love to hear a commentary track on this”? Well, this has one, and a pretty good one at that. With a moderator of sorts (Peter Tilden), the commentary has director David Zucker and Robert Weiss (Producer). You tend to learn a few things, and as these are newly recorded commentaries, it’s nice to see how things have changed (in particular with O.J.) which they tackle as well. Hey, did you know that “Weird Al” Yankovic is in all three of the Naked Gun movies? It’s almost as funny as the movie itself, and as short as these movies are you can listen to the track and watch the movie in under three hours. Also included is a theatrical trailer. If you’re a fan of the movie, there’s no reason not to pick this movie up.
