--- title: "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-naked-gun-from-the-files-of-police-squad/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-naked-gun-from-the-files-of-police-squad" critics_score: 87 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988): what the critics said Critics' score 87 from 11 reviews: 11 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. ## Radio Times — John Ferguson Rating 5/5. This hilarious feature-length spoof introduced Leslie Nielsen's inspired Frank Drebin to a worldwide audience. Nielsen remains wonderfully stone-faced as the inept lieutenant wreaking havoc while investigating a shooting, with supporting players and juvenile gags flowing nonstop. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-58hizd/the-naked-gun/) ## Los Angeles Times — Michael Wilmington Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 1988. The critic calls it a vulgar but hilarious collection of cheesy jokes, slapstick and parodies that kills with sheer density of gags. He praises David Zucker's straight-faced direction of the blizzard of sight gags and the cast including Leslie Nielsen. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-12-02-ca-1075-story.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 1988. The critic finds the film as funny as any comedy of the year aside from one other title. He praises its nonstop visual and spoken puns, satire, slapstick and the manic logic of its plot progression featuring Leslie Nielsen. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-naked-gun-1988) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Rating Critic's Pick. 2 December 1988. The critic notes the sophomoric comedy style delivers unexpected sophistication and screamingly funny moments. She singles out Leslie Nielsen's dapper, heroic presence as the oblivious fall guy for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/02/movies/review-film-a-fall-guy-as-antihero.html) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 December 2018. The critic celebrates the film's enduring daftness and infectious slapstick as a high point of ZAZ-style spoof comedy, praising its relentless visual gags, puns and Leslie Nielsen's straight-man performance even if it falls slightly short of Airplane!. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/naked-gun-30-leslie-nielsen-oj-simpson-lost-art-taking-stupidity/) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1988. The critic describes the film as crass, broad, irreverent, wacky fun that is absolutely hilarious from beginning to end. He highlights the chockablock sight gags, Leslie Nielsen's clumsy detective and the inspired nonsense of the assassination plot at a baseball game. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1987/film/reviews/naked-gun-from-the-files-of-police-squad-1200427511/) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic calls it a brilliantly irreverent comedy overflowing with extraordinary absurdity. They single out the cascade of hilarious gags, from the Beirut opener through the motel room climb and the safe-sex demonstration. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/naked-gun-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Carson Lund Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 30 December 2015. The critic positions the original film as the series highlight for its gleeful overload of visual and verbal interruptions to genre conventions. The unmitigated commitment to joke density and details like peripheral sight gags are praised as its ineffable strengths. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/david-zucker-and-the-freeing-of-the-id-naked-gun-2-1-2-the-smell-of-fear-and-33-1-3-the-final-insult/) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. Corny old gags, hoary clichés and downright silliness provide far more fun than sophistication when delivered in the right spirit. Ineptitude rules throughout as dim-witted Lt Frank Drebin investigates, but Nielsen's flair for the dramatic holds the shambling absurdity together. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-naked-gun) ## Film Comment — Michael Joshua Rowin Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2016. The critic defends the film's place in a slapstick survey, praising how it blends influences from silent comedy, Marx Brothers verbal absurdity, and Mel Brooks-style parody into something affectionate and effective. Nielsen's humble obliviousness and the inventive sight gags are highlighted as key strengths. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/tcm-diary-naked-gun-slapstick/) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 2019. The critic celebrates the film as a timeless classic of slapstick and parody, highlighting its domino-effect gags and absurd physical comedy. Leslie Nielsen's deadpan performance as the oblivious Frank Drebin is singled out as the perfect anchor for the chaos. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-naked-guns-timeless-buffoonery/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-naked-gun-from-the-files-of-police-squad.md