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The Naked Gun 2 : The Smell Of Fear (1991)
‘Frank Drebin is back. Just accept it’ is the sardonic tag line for this cynical-sequel-slaying cynical sequel .
And it really is unashamedly more of the same. Luckily, the same happens to be pretty good, like this exampe of Frank’s hard-boiled voice over. “There she was, just as I remembered her. That delicately beautiful face. And a body that could melt a cheese sandwich from across the room. And breasts that seemed to say, ‘Hey! Look at these!’ She was the kind of woman who made you want to drop to your knees and thank God you were a man. She reminded me of my mother, all right.”
The Naked Gun 33: The Final Insult (1994)
Once more unto the breach, with, as the tag notes this time, ‘Mostly all new jokes.’
Nielsen’s brand of humour is absurd, simple, and often crass. None of which makes him any less funny, obviously, but does mean that his CV is peppered with less-than-classic entries and evidence of a willingness to drive a good gag into the ground. This isn’t bad, but it’s not a match for the first two films.
Dracula: Dead And Loving It (1995)
A much-anticipated comic pairing, with Nielsen starring for legendary director Mel Brooks in a spiritual follow-up to Brooks’ all-time great, Young Frankenstein.
And in that respect it’s a disappointment – Young Frankenstein being an almost impossible act to follow. But it’s also not as bad as the critics would have you think, with Nielsen in particular on campy, vampy form as the Count.
Spy Hard (1996)
By this point hitting 70, Nielsen was barely slowing down, and continued to make a film a year alongside various television appearances.
This 007 spoof ranks among his sub-Naked Gun efforts, a thick-as-a-brick parody with clunking one-liners brought to snickering life by Nielsen’s still peerless delivery. “Thank you,” he says having been bid adieu, “But I’m quite happy with the do I have.”
Wrongfully Accused (1998)
This man-on-the-run spoof – which as the poster shows was clearly modelled on The Fugitive – sees Nielsen back in the hands of Pat Croft, the writer of The Naked Gun, now also directing.
Critics hated it, but we think it's full of strong one-liners (“Don't move! I've got a gun. Not here, but I got one.”), which should come as no surprise to Nielsen fans.
Scary Movie 3 (2003)
Another Naked Gun reunion, this time with director David Zucker taking the reigns from the Wayans clan on their highly lucrative, hammer-subtle Scream parody franchise.
With Nielsen’s help (playing another clueless authority figure, this time the president of the USA) Zucker reversed the series’ fortunes following a dreadful second instalment, and made sure there’d be a fourth…
Scary Movie 4 (2006)
More of the Airplane! crew jump on the Scary bandwagon as director David Zucker is joined by writers Pat Proft and Jim Abrahams.
All of which makes for predictably stupid, I-shouldn’t-be-laughing-at-this-but-I-totally-am moments like Nielsen’s president addressing an international conference while naked (“I thought this was a wrinkly leather coat! These aren't buttons? I've been pulling this thing up and down like a zipper…”)
Music Within (2007)
Nielsen plays Minnesotan hearing aid entrepreneur Bill Austin – oddly, director Steven Sawalich’s own stepfather – in this life-against-the-odds biopic.
It’s a tidy, touching drama about Ron Livingstone’s would-be public speaker making his way in the world, with Nielsen’s cameo as the aural specialist serving a timely reminder that he’s not all mugging and one-liners.
Superhero Movie (2008)
The ‘Movie’ parody rumbles on, under the producing eyes of David Zucker and long-time Naked Gun collaborator Robert K. Weiss.
Nielsen is on board the scattershot spoof as Uncle Albert – a take on Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben – as the film takes aim at Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, and Nielsen takes aim at his fellow cast members with a nail gun.
An American Carol (2008)
This convervative comedy is a sad final destination for the Zucker/Nielsen train (though not as sad as the actor’s last screen appearance to date in the dreadful Stan Helsing).
It’s a lengthy parody of Michael Moore and his various polemic documentaries – a right-slanting comedy filled with Hollywood’s Republican notables (James Woods, Kelsey Grammer) that grossed less than $8 million, proving that conservatives really don't get it.
Leslie had a lot of nonsense on his CV - but he made even the worst films watchable. And that's one of the things that made him a legend. RIP, Mr Nielsen.
