The jump from TV to Film for ‘Police Squad!’ was probably one of the best decisions a comedy series has ever made. ‘The Naked Gun’ offers the same style and pace as the series, but with the enhanced budget and scope enabled by the studio and film medium, they were able to go much bigger and much dafter than even some of the biggest slapstick films of the period.

The plot see’s Frank engaged in an assassination attempt on the Queen of England while on a visit to the US, and if that wasnt enough, he’s also contending with drug dealers, a new love interest AND the risk of losing his badge…It all goes about as well as can be imagined.

This is, essentially a masterclass in comedy. Theres barely a 10 second window that goes by without SOMETHING happening, whether its word play, sight gags, innuendos, puns, full blown slapstick, surrealist humour, Stoogery, just clean cut jokes. If its a comedy style, its front and center present in this movie. But what REALLY sets this apart from other comedies of the time (apart from the callibre of the comedy, which is A+ in my opinion), is its dedication to layering that comedy and interweaving it throughout the film. They’re not just doing gags in the foreground, for most of the movie, if you check in the background you’ll find equally hilarious gags, be it sight gags, parodys, weird billboards. and THAT, is what sets it apart from others of its time. The fact that its SO intrinsically wired to fill every. single. shot with AT LEAST 2-3 gags both in the foreground and background of the shot, that it makes rewatching these films even better.

The pacings breakneck, the characters PERFECT pastiches of the old Noir and gritty cop series of the 50s and 60s. the humour is pretty much all killer no filler. I’ve seen this film now WELL over a half dozen times at this point and I STILL crack up like an idiot and some of the STUPIDEST gags here. Its a perfect reworking and modernising of the Vaudville routines that captivated audiences almost 50 years prior.

Directions solid, landing every joke with ease, but it also aids in the storytelling, helping create genuine drama at times, before dropping the floor on the audience for a good gut laugh. The cine is probably the only element i’d say is a bit wobbly, and despite the framing being comedically perfect and the sequences/edits being sound enough. there were just a few shots that felt a little misframed or wobbly to me…nothing to kneecap the film mind, just…the cine is something I feel has a bit of weakness to it.

The performances are superb with Leslie Nielsen absolutely aceing this role. He was great in ‘Airplane!’ he’s PERFECT here. honestly, no notes, I dont believe anyone in the industry at that time could have done this performance, its perfect. Priscilla Presley as Jane is a fantastic comic foil equally bringing a femme fatale element to proceedings, but goofing around just as hard as Nielsen, which is ABSOLUTELY a compliment here, she brings a perfect complimenting energy to the film that again, I dont think could have been topped at that time.

Add to this George Kennedy, O.J Simpson and Ricardo Montalban, who are equally incredible in a supporting role…AND the insanely brilliant score for this film (why they didnt use Franks intro theme in the new Naked gun I have NO idea…) and all in, this is a pretty incredible work, and probably the peak of the Zuckers film making abilities, I sincerely think this was likely their peak.

I have a lot of fond memories with ‘The Naked Gun’ Its a superb comedy, expertly crafted and seems designed intrinsically to crack a smile on almost anyones face. An absolute must see for any comedy fan in my opinion, and almost guarenteed to add some sun to even the rainiest of days.

source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/the-naked-gun-from-the-files-of-police-squad/