The Naked Gun 33 ⅓ - An amazing closure to the trilogy.

Thanks to the recent release of a sequel/reboot starring Liam Neeson, I had the opportunity to learn about and watch The Naked Gun film trilogy for the first time. Inspired by a series called "The Police Files," which only lasted six episodes before being canceled, it gave rise to one of the most brilliant comedy franchises I've ever seen.

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And while I admit that none of the sequels reached the level of greatness of the original 1988 film, The Naked Gun is a perfect example of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy.

A couple of days ago, I wrote about it, and then I took the time to review its sequel, a film that, in my opinion, manages to maintain the impeccable pace I expected. Despite not having as many iconic moments, it holds together thanks to a brilliant script and Leslie Nielsen's performance as Lieutenant Frank, who quickly became one of my favorite fictional characters.

Frank Debris had everything it took to become an icon: he was clumsy, confident, but for some reason, even when things get complicated, everything turns out well for him. He's a perfect vessel for the endless source of physical and verbal comedy that Naked Gun represents as a franchise, and the indirect inspiration for many police and detective comedies, like the brilliant FX series Archer.

This time, it was time to watch the closing of the trilogy: Naked Gun 33 1/3 - The Final Insult, a fairly effective conclusion that repeats the virtues of its predecessors while also taking everything to an interesting new level.

The relationship between Frank Debris and his now-wife Jane Spencer (played by the beautiful Priscilla Presley) takes center stage, a perfect opportunity to tap into the chemistry the two actors have had since the first film.

In The Final Insult, we see how Frank must return from his retirement as a police officer to carry out one last mission, something that could cost him his marriage to Jane, who is also desperate to have a child.

This premise—which appears to be quite serious—is nothing more than an excuse for the display of brilliance we've become accustomed to from Naked Gun, riddled with brilliant moments like the prison escape and a climax at an awards ceremony that parodies the Oscars.

The only bitter feeling I felt about this film was due to the fact that it's the last time we'll see Leslie Nielsen play Lieutenant Frank, and aside from the recent reboot I mentioned (and the episodes of the canceled TV series), the material for this universe seems lacking considering all the potential it had.

Of course, many of its gags and jokes have aged slightly sloppily (and can certainly be considered racist or sexist by today's standards), but again, The Naked Gun has one thing going for it: the sincerity with which it's all executed, and this is something that will make it easy to get a laugh out of it even if we don't agree with what we're watching.

This score was taken from my Letterboxd account.