Search - The Naked Gun: From the Files of the Police Squad on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Questionable for Children, Adult Humor, Slapstick Violence Movie Release: 1988 DVD Release: 08/15/2000 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 28 mins Studio: Paramount Total Copies: 14 Genres: Comedy, Slapstick, Parody/Spoof, Absurd Comedy, Police Comedy See Also: The Naked Gun, Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad [I Love the 80's Edition] [Bonus CD]

We know we're in a 1988 film when we're invited to laugh at O.J. Simpson in an opening slapstick sequence. We can also pinpoint the year of production when hard-nosed cop Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen), during a scuffle with the world's leading dictators, wipes the wine-colored birthmark off the head of Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev. Those wacky ZAZ boys -- David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker -- serve up a feature-length spin-off of their cult favorite TV show Police Squad!. Seeking vengeance when his partner (Simpson) is shot full of holes by drug dealers, dead-pan and dead-brained Lt. Frank Drebin searches for the Mister Big behind it all. Drebin suspects above-reproach shipping magnate Vincent Ludwig (Ricardo Montalban), but he can't prove a thing. Bumped from the force by the mayor (Nancy Marchand), Drebin, with the unexpected assistance of Ludwig's ex-girlfriend (Priscilla Presley), manages to nab the bad guy at a baseball game, where Reggie Jackson has been programmed to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. MGM mogul Irving Thalberg once reportedly told the Marx Brothers, "You can't build jokes on top of jokes." The producers of Naked Gun prove otherwise; indeed, one could develop writer's cramp just listing the gags in the film's first 20 minutes. Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad was followed by two lesser but still hilarious sequels, Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Leslie Nielsen - Lt. Frank Drebin
George Kennedy - Capt. Ed Hocken
Priscilla Presley - Jane Spencer
Ricardo Montalban - Vincent Ludwig
O.J. Simpson - Nordberg

The picture on this disc is first-rate. While there are a few scratches here and there, they are brief and hardly noticeable. The disc is framed at its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (anamorphic). Beyond the scratches, the picture simply looks great; the colors are very vibrant and the darks are solid. The composition is great and the image quality really stands out. The sound, which includes an English 5.1 Dolby Digital track and a French mono (split over two tracks), is very good, but falls short of spectacular. The front, mainly center speakers get all the action; there is little use of the rear surround speakers other than during the opening theme music. Since the dialogue is straightforward and never becomes distorted or shrill, this is less problematic than it might have been. It's the extras that are surprising. The audio commentary track from director David Zucker, producer Robert Weiss (who on voice alone could easily be mistaken for Howard Stern), and a mysterious guest named Peter Tilden is a major plus. This has to be one of the funniest tracks ever recorded. Discussing whatever comes to mind, they cover everything from being sure they would get a PG-13 rating now to the later troubles of O.J. Simpson. They may not have a lot to say about the filmmaking process, but the track is lively and probably better than many of the commentary tracks out there. A theatrical trailer is included. Not many extras, but the commentary track makes up for the lack of additional goodies. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide