Surely the iconic lieutenant Frank Drebin Senior (Leslie Nielsen) would be proud of his son, because the also cop Frank Drebin Junior, played by Liam Neeson in the return to theaters of the saga ‘The Naked Gun’, has inherited all his questionable (and jocular) gifts.
The same laxity with law enforcement, the same innate clumsiness at the crime scene, the same reckless driving through the streets of a very different city of Los Angeles… And the same serious countenance to channel the absurd humor that characterizes a franchise that returns this Friday to theaters in several countries.
Yes, Irishman Liam Neeson, who shares the screen (and sentimental life as a result, according to ‘People’ magazine) with Pamela Anderson, follows in 2025 the path that Canadian Leslie Nielsen (1926-2010) took in 1988 with the release of the first part of the trilogy ‘The Naked Gun’, which continued in 1991 and 1996.
Almost 30 years later, one of the most outstanding creations of the trio of directors and screenwriters known as ZAZ (David Zucker, the late Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker) returns to the limelight with direction by Akiva Schaffer (‘Saturday Night Live’, ‘Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping’); screenplay by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand and Akiva Schaffer, and production by Seth MacFarlane (‘Ted’, ‘Family Guy’).
This new batch of creators has given birth to Frank Drebin Junior of the Los Angeles Police Squad, a clumsy cop who believes the world was a better place before.
The ‘intrepid cop’ has to face a powerful millionaire, also ‘nostalgic’, who has amassed his fortune betting on sectors such as electric cars and seeks to wipe out the vast majority of humanity.
In this story, full of references to current issues (such as police violence against black people) and typical gags based on clichés (such as the huge consumption of coffee by law enforcement officers), Drebin encounters Beth (Anderson), a writer of fabricated true crimes who suspects that there are dark motives behind the death of her brother.
A new experience for Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson had not done much comedy until now, and the possibility of participating in this new version of ‘The naked gun’ came from the hand of Seth MacFarlane, producer of the film, who proposed him to get into the skin of Drebin.
The Irish actor had seen the original productions and did not hesitate to say yes, especially when he had the opportunity to read the script.
Comedy was also not among Pamela Anderson’s usual registers, but the saga of ‘The naked gun’, in which she had already been offered to participate some time ago.
It was actress and model Anna Nicole Smith, who passed away in 2007, who played Tanya Peters in ‘Naked Gun 33 1/3: The final insult’ in 1994.
The truth is that the couple of actors seems to have fit perfectly in this latest installment, to the point that the love story in fiction would have gone beyond the screen.
Liam Neeson was widowed in 2009 when fellow actress Natasha Richardson died after an accident during a skiing lesson at Mont Tremblant, Canada.
And perhaps the most remembered relationship of Pamela Anderson is the one she had with Tommy Lee, with whom she had two children and a complicated ending with accusations of abuse that ended in the musician’s arrest and a six-month jail sentence. They separated in 1998.
In 2023, according to Agencia EFE, the famous beach vigilante reviewed her life, including her love life, in the documentary ‘Pamela Anderson: A love story’.
Here you can watch the trailer of the movie ‘The Naked Gun’.
Find out more at ‘QueOnnda.com’.
