Incompetent police Detective Frank Drebin must foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.Incompetent police Detective Frank Drebin must foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.Incompetent police Detective Frank Drebin must foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.
- Awards
- 2 nominations total
Summary
Reviewers say 'The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!' is a hilarious film with memorable lines and absurd situations that keep audiences entertained. Leslie Nielsen's deadpan delivery and the supporting cast's performances enhance the humor. However, some viewers find the rapid-fire jokes overwhelming, and a few gags fall flat. Despite this, the film's slapstick humor, visual gags, and iconic scenes, such as Frank Drebin's interactions with Queen Elizabeth, contribute to its enduring comedic appeal.
Featured reviews
Really good film, I liked this one!
I recently bought the boxed set, (all 3 films) and really enjoyed watching them again. I have to admit though, I did not quite laugh as much as I did when I first watched them.
I remembering watching them the first time and thinking "What the hell am I watching? This is MAD! hahaha lol. All the bits like Frank hitting stuff with his car every time he parks and the bit with Nordberg at the start - classic!
Really good light-hearted fun...
7 out of 10
I recently bought the boxed set, (all 3 films) and really enjoyed watching them again. I have to admit though, I did not quite laugh as much as I did when I first watched them.
I remembering watching them the first time and thinking "What the hell am I watching? This is MAD! hahaha lol. All the bits like Frank hitting stuff with his car every time he parks and the bit with Nordberg at the start - classic!
Really good light-hearted fun...
7 out of 10
I suppose when it comes down to it,I am very easily entertained when it comes to comedy.It just doesn't take much to make me laugh.The makers of The Naked Gun did their job well.The film is so overloaded with sight gags,that if you blink,you just might miss one,or maybe even two of them.The slightest distractions will make you miss something.Some of the humor is vulgar and downright tasteless,but nonetheless funny.The final sequences involving the baseball game were the best.With the possible exception of O.J.Simpson,who was never good when he tried to act,this was a grand all around comedic effort,and comedy,as many have said,is hard to produce.I actually can recall the short lived television series that this film is based on.Only six episodes were produced,and it was a shame more were not made.I was glad to see it come roaring back on the big screen.Perhaps it belonged there all along.
This likable silly farce with numberless comedy set pieces deals about the Agent Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) , he is assigned by Mayor (Nancy Marchand) to protect the Queen of England and thwart the plans of a cunning baddie (Ricardo Montalban) . Frank along with captain Ed (George Kennedy) must investigate the attempt murder of his mate policeman (O.J.Simson) . Meanwhile , he falls in love with a gorgeous woman (Priscilla Presley) .
This is a hilarious parody of the TV series :¨Police squad¨ with a similar premise to ¨Airplane¨ and ¨Top secret¨ . The spoof is surrealist , extreme and gross-out , but is also bold and intelligent with a myriad of imaginative sketches with no sense , slapdash and slapstick . The picture contains an unstopped string of gags each thirty seconds and silly jokes ; from start to finish the up-roaring comedy and humor result to be interminable , that's why the viewers will laugh uncontrollably . Habitual quirky and lunatic roles , especially reincarnated by Nielsen as a deadpan , idiot detective . Most of the laughs and sight gags galore work acceptably , particularly the jokes with the Queen's reception fiasco ; however, the overlong gags about the baseball are dull and boring . The picture is well screen-written and realized by Jim Abrahams and brothers Jerry , David Zucker (ZAZ) , parody pioneers and longtime collaborators with successful work making their own comedy troupe . Rated PG (parents guide) for some sexually , gags with occasional adult content and profanities . Followed by two inferior sequels with similar actors , elements and characters :¨The smell of fear¨ and ¨The final insult¨ . The film will appeal to absurd , unruly , wacky comedy fans . The movie is a Nielsen vehicle ,if you like his crazy , manic performance , you'll enjoy this one .
This is a hilarious parody of the TV series :¨Police squad¨ with a similar premise to ¨Airplane¨ and ¨Top secret¨ . The spoof is surrealist , extreme and gross-out , but is also bold and intelligent with a myriad of imaginative sketches with no sense , slapdash and slapstick . The picture contains an unstopped string of gags each thirty seconds and silly jokes ; from start to finish the up-roaring comedy and humor result to be interminable , that's why the viewers will laugh uncontrollably . Habitual quirky and lunatic roles , especially reincarnated by Nielsen as a deadpan , idiot detective . Most of the laughs and sight gags galore work acceptably , particularly the jokes with the Queen's reception fiasco ; however, the overlong gags about the baseball are dull and boring . The picture is well screen-written and realized by Jim Abrahams and brothers Jerry , David Zucker (ZAZ) , parody pioneers and longtime collaborators with successful work making their own comedy troupe . Rated PG (parents guide) for some sexually , gags with occasional adult content and profanities . Followed by two inferior sequels with similar actors , elements and characters :¨The smell of fear¨ and ¨The final insult¨ . The film will appeal to absurd , unruly , wacky comedy fans . The movie is a Nielsen vehicle ,if you like his crazy , manic performance , you'll enjoy this one .
Fresh from tackling terrorism in Beruit, with his own unique hands on style, Lt Frank Drebin is immediately called onto the job to investigate the near fatal shooting of a fellow officer. Det Nordberg was gunned down investigating a case in the docks and Drebin's investigation begins with the company that Nordberg was undercover with that of pillar of the community Vincent Ludwig. As Frank falls for Ludwig's PA, the beautiful Jane Spencer, he uncovers proof of a dastardly plot by Ludwig but who will believe him?
If there is a man, woman or child on this earth who can say, hand on heart, that they just don't find Airplane, Naked Gun, Police Squad and the like funny then I would very much like to meet the sad sack just to discover what it takes to elicit a smile from them. Needless to say, this sort of film is very much my type of thing but not to the point where I cannot spot a good one from a bad one. In fact one of the big downsides of this film is that it did create many copies that just couldn't do it as well so we have had spoofs of all sorts of genres recently, but too many have more hits than misses.
It is to this films credit that it has a very high hit/miss ratio and I enjoy it so much because the laughs keep coming. The material is very silly but it is the constant straight face that it delivers it with that is perfect and makes it work. Other films of the ilk have been overly silly without keeping this straight face. However, our characters here seem oblivious apart from the odd one who gives the other a funny look etc, and this makes the goings on even funnier. The plot is silly but that doesn't matter as you will be laughing too much to really care. Having seen it so often I have stopped roaring the way I did the first time but I still chuckled all the way.
The writing and direction is spot on delivering sharp lines that make me laugh due to their sheer unexpectedness or the way they are so very out of place as well as sight gags that are imaginative and clever. However lets not forget a delivery by a very talented cast who make the material work. Praise goes to Nielsen in the lead; he may have worn his role thin over the years with typecasting and, shall we say 'less than perfect' material but give him the tools and he'll do you a job. He can be straight, he can dither or he can just be a clown and he does them all here his delivery is great whether it's action or reaction shots. Likewise I felt the rest of the cast did well even if most of them are given reaction shots to Drebin. Presley is straight and funny for it while Kennedy seems to fit into the material with ease. OJ doesn't have as much chance to be funny and seems a little stiff in the scenes he is in, but he is still good just pales a little when next to the others. I love Montalban and he uses his ooze really well in this film and his reaction shots are very good. The support is all good but it is Nielsen doing his (now) time-honoured turn as spoof-master than steals the show.
Overall I love this genre and consider this film (indeed the series) to be up there with Police Squad and Airplane. It is not as hilarious as Airplane but it has way more hits than misses and is relentlessly funny. As a film it isn't perfect but anyone watching this who complains about plot holes, lack of character development or lack of narrative really have missed the point.
If there is a man, woman or child on this earth who can say, hand on heart, that they just don't find Airplane, Naked Gun, Police Squad and the like funny then I would very much like to meet the sad sack just to discover what it takes to elicit a smile from them. Needless to say, this sort of film is very much my type of thing but not to the point where I cannot spot a good one from a bad one. In fact one of the big downsides of this film is that it did create many copies that just couldn't do it as well so we have had spoofs of all sorts of genres recently, but too many have more hits than misses.
It is to this films credit that it has a very high hit/miss ratio and I enjoy it so much because the laughs keep coming. The material is very silly but it is the constant straight face that it delivers it with that is perfect and makes it work. Other films of the ilk have been overly silly without keeping this straight face. However, our characters here seem oblivious apart from the odd one who gives the other a funny look etc, and this makes the goings on even funnier. The plot is silly but that doesn't matter as you will be laughing too much to really care. Having seen it so often I have stopped roaring the way I did the first time but I still chuckled all the way.
The writing and direction is spot on delivering sharp lines that make me laugh due to their sheer unexpectedness or the way they are so very out of place as well as sight gags that are imaginative and clever. However lets not forget a delivery by a very talented cast who make the material work. Praise goes to Nielsen in the lead; he may have worn his role thin over the years with typecasting and, shall we say 'less than perfect' material but give him the tools and he'll do you a job. He can be straight, he can dither or he can just be a clown and he does them all here his delivery is great whether it's action or reaction shots. Likewise I felt the rest of the cast did well even if most of them are given reaction shots to Drebin. Presley is straight and funny for it while Kennedy seems to fit into the material with ease. OJ doesn't have as much chance to be funny and seems a little stiff in the scenes he is in, but he is still good just pales a little when next to the others. I love Montalban and he uses his ooze really well in this film and his reaction shots are very good. The support is all good but it is Nielsen doing his (now) time-honoured turn as spoof-master than steals the show.
Overall I love this genre and consider this film (indeed the series) to be up there with Police Squad and Airplane. It is not as hilarious as Airplane but it has way more hits than misses and is relentlessly funny. As a film it isn't perfect but anyone watching this who complains about plot holes, lack of character development or lack of narrative really have missed the point.
I just rewatched this movie 32 years later after it has been shoot, and I must say, it has aged well, meaning, it is still funny and hilarious to watch. Okay, some scenes need some explanation to younger generation (like the opening Beirut scene is not really comprehensible to someone who was born in the nineties). But overall the jokes are delivered with a good timing and a still good hit/miss ratio. So, given that age of that movie, and how comparable movies have not aged as well, I am now increasing my rating from 7/10 to 9/10.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter Leslie Nielsen's death in 2010, ESPN published an obituary for "Enrico Pallazzo," writing, "A true Renaissance man, Enrico Pallazzo umpired the game after performing the national anthem... Pallazzo was the first - and only - umpire to eject another umpire from a major league game. He also is believed to be the first - and only - umpire to use an upright vacuum cleaner to tidy up home plate."
- GoofsIn the video/theatrical release, in the final battle with Vincent Ludwig, Frank Drebin's chest protector has deflated without reason. (note: the network television broadcast adds a scene in which Ludwig shoots the chest protector, causing it to deflate.)
- Crazy creditsMany of the bit players are credited next to the one line of dialogue they had in the film. For example: "It's Enrico Pallazzo!" ... Mark Holton
- Alternate versionsOn a recent Comedy Central airing in 2006, the entire opening scene with Frank Drebin and the hostile foreign leaders was cut, instead going straight to the opening credits. This is probably due to sensitivity regarding the conflict overseas.
- ConnectionsEdited into Apaga y vámonos: Episode #1.7 (2013)
- SoundtracksI Love L.A.
(1983)
Written and Performed by Randy Newman
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- ¿Y dónde está el policía?
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $12,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $78,756,177
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $9,331,746
- Dec 4, 1988
- Gross worldwide
- $78,756,177
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What is the streaming release date of The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) in Canada?
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