Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994)

Given the huge success of the first two, I suppose the trilogy was bound to happen - but by now the joke and the characterisations had really worn very thin indeed. "Drebin" (Leslie Nielsen) is now happily (?) retired and living with his long-suffering wife "Jane" (Priscilla Presley) when he is sought out by his erstwhile colleagues "Ed" (George Kennedy) and "Nordberg" (OJ Simpson) to help out on their most dangerous case yet. Nope, the Queen is not making another state visit - it's "Rocco" (Fred Ward) and it looks like he wants to save Chris Rock any future embarrassment by blowing up the Oscars ceremony. What now ensues is a by now routine sequence of frying pan to fire scenarios, straight out of a Laurel & Hardy film. Sadly, that humour is all a bit passé now and though an appearance by Anna Nicole Smith must have given every budding actress from Tallahassee to Timbuktu a sense of hope that if she can make it, they can - the rest of it falls pretty flat! It is well enough made, the quips are quickly delivered and some of them still raise the odd smile. In the main, though, it is 80 minutes that almost looks like out-takes from the first two films with a thinly constructed plot by way of a template to hold it all together. It is watchable, but just not a patch on the earlier iterations.

**A fitting end to one of the great comedy trilogies of the 90s.** This is the third and final film in the “Naked Gun” trilogy. Throughout the film, one can smell farewell and conclusion, and it is undeniable that, among them, this is the weakest and least interesting. Even so, the film does what it needs to do to please its audience, who already know perfectly well what they are going to see and have a certain level of expectations. Although his style of humor may displease many people, we cannot deny that the three films were a notable success in the 80s and 90s, and that they had a major impact on Leslie Nielsen's filmography. In fact, the strength of Nielsen's work and charisma is what makes the film work. Without him, or with another actor, nothing would make sense and the final product would have no value. Even so, we must also highlight the work developed by O. J. Simpson, Priscilla Presley and George Kennedy, actors who put a lot of effort into their respective roles and found, in this film, time and material to match their talent. In fact, compared to its predecessors – and in these cases comparisons are inevitable – I thought this film gave more space to the secondary actors and gained additional quality as a result. It's not worth talking too much about the technical aspects, as this is a comical film that invests little in them and puts all its chips on humor and the main actor's performance. Even so, we can say that the film manages to maintain the quality that the trilogy has accustomed the public to. The script continues to be a problem, however, and is seen only as a vehicle for successive comic sequences and slapstick humor routines.

'Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult' is the weakest of the trilogy, though fair amusement is still produced. Leslie Nielsen is so good in the lead role that I don't think it's really possible for these films to drag, at least alongside the decent gags and short run time. Admittedly this third entry does meander a tad, though my interest in events never waned into negative territory. The ending is the strongest part, that facepalm scene (which I knew of before) is gold. Overall, this is a good franchise. I'm quite looking forward to hopefully checking out Liam Neeson in the 2025 remake, as long as the writing is suitable I think he can absolutely make it work.