Movie Scene: Don’t call him Shirley!

Fans of a certain vintage will remember ‘Police Squad’, a slapstick comedy series centred on the LAPD and the buffoon-like yet strangely successful Lt Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen). It only lasted one series but was enough to spawn a movie trilogy called ‘The Naked Gun’ where Nielsen would be joined by George Kennedy and OJ Simpson for three highly-successful films. Plans to get a reboot in cinemas, including one with Ed Helms as Drebin Jr, finally paid off this week with instead, our own ‘Big Fella’ Liam Neeson as Drebin.

Frank Drebin Jr (Neeson) is the bane of the LAPD and his weary superior (CCH Pounder). After foiling a bank heist and causing the department to get sued into the bargain, Frank and sidekick Ed Hocken Jr (Paul Walter Hauser) are taken off the case and are assigned to traffic duty, happening onto a suspected vehicular suicide. When Frank connects the two, he goes after tech billionaire Richard Cane (Danny Huston) who has devious plans to take over the world with a literal PLOT Device whilst keeping the supposed suicide victim’s sister Beth (Pamela Anderson) out of harm’s way.

Now, there are reviews in the ether which are calling this reboot the ‘funniest film of the decade’. In short, it isn’t. But its bloody good fun.

Writer-director Akiva Schaffer clearly remembers the original trilogy and captures the spirit of it perfectly with a series of sight gags, physical comedy, puns and (frankly) ridiculous one-liners. Examples include when Drebin offers Beth a seat at the precinct, “Please, take a chair.” She replies, “No thank you, I have my own at home.”

Or when speaking with the film’s baddie and is asked whether he suspects foul play, Drebin retorts “No I don’t think a chicken could have done this.”

There’s a lot more where that came from including a line about Ms Anderson’s shapely derriere that had me absolutely howling, along with gags about Bill Cosby and one especially sly dig at OJ Simpson.

As the film goes on the hit ratio of gags slows down and they don’t all land, but that’s to be expected. Nevertheless, I cackled my way through the ninety minutes with ease.

If there was ever a man born for this job it’s Neeson. He plays the role with all the seriousness of Bryan Mills with none of the skills, and he absolutely nails it, as does Anderson as his femme fatale. If rumours of their romance are true, the chemistry is certainly there. Huston is also on fine form, with Pounder and Hauser making the most of small roles.

Stupendously silly, the ‘Naked Gun’ reboot just about hits the target.