Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)

Director:

Peter Segal

Writers (WGA):

Jim Abrahams (television series Police Squad) &
David Zucker (television series Police Squad) ...

Release Date:

18 March 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

A Mad Bomber Is On The Loose, And If Anyone Can Stop Him....So Can Frank!

Plot:

Frank Drebin comes out of retirement to help Police Squad infiltrate a gang of terrorists planning to detonate a bomb at the Academy Awards.

Plot Keywords:

California | Dominatrix | Female Lawyer | Transsexual | Bubble Wrap

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Leslie Nielsen	...	Lt. Frank Drebin
Priscilla Presley	...	Jane Spencer Drebin
George Kennedy	...	Captain Ed Hocken
O.J. Simpson	...	Nordberg
Fred Ward	...	Rocco Dillon
Kathleen Freeman	...	Muriel Dillon
Anna Nicole Smith	...	Tanya Peters
Ellen Greene	...	Louise
Ed Williams	...	Ted Olsen
Raye Birk	...	Papshmir
Matt Roe	...	Clayton
Wylie Small	...	Defense Attorney
Sharon Cornell	...	Stenographer
Earl Boen	...	Dr. Stuart Eisendrath
Jeff Wright	...	Store Manager

Also Known As:

Naked Gun 33 1/3: Just for the Record (USA) (working title)
The Naked Gun III (USA) (trailer title)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:18 | Brazil:Livre (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-10/7 | Germany:12 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:10 | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County Municipal Courts Building - 110 N. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

On the day of shooting for the 1970s flashback shootout, George Kennedy had come down with pneumonia. He was so ill that he couldn't even walk. To make sure the scene was shot, the director had Kennedy sit on a bar stool for his entire part in the scene. Notice when Frank meets Ed, Ed never gets up from his stool. When Ed is supposed to leave, leaving Frank alone with Tanya, Kennedy simply just leaned back out of the shot to create the illusion of his character getting up and leaving.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the prams roll down the stairs you can see the ignition pipes that shoots out the babies.

Quotes:

Frank Drebin: Well... We shot a lot of people together. It's been great. But today I retire, so if I do any shooting now, it'll have to be within the confines of my own home. Hopefully, an intruder and not an in-law, like at my bachelor party.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Soundtrack:

This Could Be The Start Of Something

A lesser showing for the second sequel

So, here we are then, with the third part of the very silly 'Naked Gun' series. For some reason, David Zucker isn't in the director's chair this time; and his replacement is the man who would go on to direct the 2004 disappointment '50 First Dates' a decade later; Peter Segal. This doesn't matter, though, because Zucker still shares a writing credit, and the series always belonged to Leslie Nielson anyway. Still, this third part isn't as good as the first two, by quite a margin. The story is less expansive this round, and the film is also a lot shorter (probably a comment on the fact that the writers were running out of ideas...), but it still has it's moments that are really funny. As usual, quite a few of the jokes don't work, but there's usually one that does just around the corner after a failed one. One sequence in particular involving Frank Drebin in a dance number is one such moment.

The thin plot is mostly a parody on the crime classic 'White Heat', and it involves Frank Drebin going undercover in jail and eventually having to try and thwart an act of terrorism. Naturally, this is just a springboard for lots and lots of gags, but that's no bad thing. Leslie Nielson approaches the role with the usual gusto, and does well with it again. Leslie Nielson's comedy works because he looks so ridiculous, and he can just stand around doing nothing and make you laugh. The Naked Gun series is a good waste of time if all you want is a laugh and this second sequel delivers on that front too, although not in quite as good a way as the first two did. Still, there's a lot worse comedies around.