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4.84.8 out of 5 stars
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Despite some off-colour period humour and dodgy politics, Nielsen is hilarious as the wooden-faced, accident-prone detective, Frank Drebin

The Naked Gun Trilogy grew out of the 1980s tv serial, `Police Squad', made by the team responsible for the earlier films, `Kentucky Fried Movie' & `Airplane!'. The three films are high budget, fast action, slapstick comedies, starring the comically wooden and terminally accident prone Leslie Nielsen & the beautiful but clueless Priscilla Presley. Nielsen's sidekicks are the ever-reliable George Kennedy & a pre-scandal OJ Simpson, who also gets into a lot of slapstick scrapes. Apart from slapstick stunts, there are a lot of juvenile sex jokes, cakes in the face, semi-nudity, and some sicker laughs about the fatal accidents Nielsen keeps causing.

The first film starts with jokes of a pro-Israel, anti-Islam nature, playing on the then recent 1980 hostage crisis and the 1983 marine massacres in Lebanon. The Queen is also treated disrespectfully all through the film, though there is the backhanded complement that she is referred to as THE Queen, not the British Queen. The 2nd & 3rd films ease off controversial politics.

The chemistry between Nielsen & Presley is especially good in the first film, as she actually looks only a little less than her true age, and actually interested in him. However, she has a full makeover for the 2nd & 3rd films to look like a perfect 25-year-old doll with an immobile face, and this restricts her acting range. The compensation in the 2nd film is the larger budget, enabling full-scale spoofs of some of the contemporary `Lethal Weapon' stunts. The 3rd film is more cheaply made, and goes heavier on the gutter humour.

The basic plot is similar in the 3 films. A well-connected baddie, who always has Presley as his personal assistant, plans to assassinate an important person, with grave repurcussions for the USA. Nielsen is in charge of security. He usually screws up early on, and is chewed out or suspended by the Mayor. He redeems himself with the help of Presley & his police Scooby squad, and manages to save the day, usually with a large slice of pure luck.

Despite the flaws, and some jokes which are no longer considered politically correct, there is something about Nielsen that is just very very funny, and I found the films immensely watchable. Overall, one of the more successful longform comedy franchises of recent decades. 7/10.

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The naked gun trilogy

Brand new still in cellophane great value love these films Leslie Nielsen is so funny

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Excellent family entertainment.

Good storylines, excellent cast, very funny movies.

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Laugh a minute

Extremely funny film, I don’t know how they kept their faces straight half the time.
A MUST watch for ALL the family.

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Classic movie trilogy

3 great comedy films with the great Leslie Nielsen in the role of Frank Dreben .

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Police squad sillyness

Very very funny films with some great characters and actors.

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quality films

if you need a good laugh this is a must to enjoy

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Good evening entertainment

Excellent comedy films

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Good quality

Great deal

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It’s very good

If you want a good laugh get it

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