How The Naked Gun finally let Liam Neeson unleash his inner comedian

In the freshly released action comedy The Naked Gun, we get to witness Liam Neeson unleash his humorous side. And we cannot keep calm and stop cracking up!

The fourth part of The Naked Gun franchise, this latest cop-spoof film, follows Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., who, like his father, is striving to make a mark in the police squad to bring justice. The film was released on August 1, 2025.

Helmed by Akiva Schaffer, this film is a sequel to the 1994 film of the franchise, Naked Gun 331/3: The Final Insult. Along with Neeson, the film stars Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, and many others.

In the trailer itself, one will catch numerous moments where Liam Neeson's scenes are bound to make us laugh. The veteran actor, who has done diverse genres of films in his career, excels in comedy in this film.

Let us dig deeper into Liam Neeson's portrayal in The Naked Gun.

Liam Neeson's iconic comic timing in The Naked Gun, and beyond

One cannot help but roll on the floor laughing at Liam Neeson's comic performance as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. in The Naked Gun. And the beauty of his performance lies in his nonchalance. The fact that he is not desperately trying to make us laugh. It just lies in those moments.

There is a sense of dichotomy that cuts sharply into the way Neeson delivers the performance. He is not making overtly funny faces all the time to make the scene vehemently hilarious. A lot of times, his face looks quite intimidating. But it is those moments and lines that are so unserious that one cannot help but wheeze out in laughter. And not to forget, his deep baritone voice speaks the most humorous lines.

As per FandomWire, Liam Neeson mentions that this very distinctive acting quality of his could be the reason for his being cast in Schindler's List (1993), as he mentions:

"In fact, that’s probably why Steven Spielberg cast me as Oskar Schindler in ‘Schindler’s List.’ I said, “Steven, I make lists all the time.” And he said, “That’s exactly what I’m looking for.”

In The Naked Gun, even when he does not utter a funny line, there is something about the way he delivers it that makes it so amusing. The film, like any spoof, is meant to play around with all the classic tropes that we see in films and smartly satirize them.

So, naturally, the comedy of this film is caricatured, but there is a certain ease that Liam Neeson brings into his performance that works out so well.

In one of the most humorous scenes of the film, we see Neeson eating and driving, only to hear his stomach gurgling. At this pretty crucial scene of his desperate need to use a lavatory, the body language of Liam Neeson is worth noting.

Imagine the scene-the poor guy is visibly helpless and grumbling in the middle of such an urgent bathroom crisis, whilst he is driving a car and is all suited and booted in a James Bond-esque aura. You cannot help but laugh, even though you might feel a little pitiful towards him.

During the scene, Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. utters:

"I'm gonna ruin another suit".

This is not the first time the actor has played a comedic role. Some of his works in comedy include High Spirits (1988), Life's Too Short (2011-2013), A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), and The LEGO Movie (2014), to name a few.

Apart from Schindler's List, Liam Neeson has also appeared in a plethora of intense films as such, including Darkman (1990), Les Misérables (1998), K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), Seraphim Falls (2006), Taken (2008), to name a few. Along with his serious roles, it is time we get to see more of the versatile actor's mirthful moments in the future.

Which is your favorite Liam Neeson film? Tell us in the comments!

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Also read: Liam Neeson starrer The Naked Gun is setting up a box office record for the decade

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