Liam Neeson seems to carry his resume in his eyes. Great performances in major movies: "The Mission," "Husbands and Wives," "Kinsey," "Widows," "Schindler's List," "Silence," "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs." I'm always happy to see Liam Neeson on a screen.
Additionally, I agree with critic Brian Tallerico that Neeson now has one of the best roles--if not the best role--in his career. Neeson is outstanding in "The Naked Gun."
I'm not completely sure what this movie is about, because I watched it while sleepy; also, at times it seems as if the writers themselves have lost track of the plot. But I was dazzled by Neeson's Frank Drebin, who struggles with ghosts. Frank was breast-fed until he was thirteen, and he can't get aroused unless he detects an odor of stale milk in the room. (I believe I heard this right.) To drown his own feelings of self-loathing, Frank must eat seven chili dogs per day; the chili dogs cause him to shit his pants, unless (occasionally) he can find a gas station, discharge his firearm, cause a stampede, and evacuate the restroom.
Frank finds himself entangled with a criminal mastermind, who hopes to pump testosterone into clients worldwide. (I think this is what I heard.) "Men everywhere are buying my product," says Danny Huston. "Men in every country--spraying their semen--across the board."
"I've never sprayed my semen across a board," says Frank. "I generally use a Bon Jovi tee shirt...."
Danny Huston's shadowy plans involve murder (again, I'm in a fog), and so he must be stopped. This entails a high-speed chase in self-driving cars--Drebin tries to escape his car, but he is (momentarily) foiled by bees, balloons, and an agitated clown. The tension mounts. The stakes could not be higher.
I won't tell you who wins. I just want to be clear that I really like Liam Neeson. People say Hollywood is dying. And here is Neeson, jumping from "Widows" to let's-save-Julianne-Moore-on-a-plane to "The Naked Gun." Mr. Neeson is healing the world through his art.
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