Le Détonateur

Since "The Fugitive" is one of my all-time favorites, this takeoff on it was fun and enjoyable for me to watch. Hey, sometimes it's best to laugh at ourselves and the things we like. For much of it, this movie was laugh-out-loud funny.

It helped not only to know "The Fugitive" story well but also "North By Northwest," "Casablanca" "Titantic," and many, many other films, both classic and modern-day. The more familiar you are with movies, the more of these "inside" jokes are going to make you laugh.

Being a movie buff, a lot of these gags connected and made me really have a good time watching this Leslie Nielsen farce. Be warned, parents: this is not a family comedy. There are tons of sexual innuendos, so typical of today's comedies.

Leslie Nielsen basically stopped acting after making the Naked Gun movies. He starred in spoofs such as Spy Hard, A Space Travesty, Scary Movie 3 and this one, a spoof mainly of 'The Fugitive'.

Numerous other movies come along (such as The Usual Suspects, Braveheart, Titanic, Patriout Games and even Casablanca, it's a feast for anyone who's seen those movies. It all doesn't make much sense of course (as it shouldn't) but it's a fine evening filler I suppose.

Oh well, if you're into the spoofing category or have seen much of the movies being ridiculed in this one, it's definately a one to watch.

6/10.

very goofy and funny parody. Most people didn't see this one, compared to movies like Hot Shots and Naked Gun, where a lot of people saw and thought those were the cornerstone of spoof movies. This one held its own as one of the funniest spoofs in recent memory. This movie basically takes the whole Fugitive movie and puts its own spin on the whole thing. They also goof on other movies but The Fugitive is the basic one for the story. Everyone was dead on in this one, Leslie Nielson was spot on yet again as the pure comic genius that he is. Michael York, Kelly LeBrock where surprise hits as well. The real steal of the movie is the late, great Richard Creena. He was very good as the Tommy Lee Jones character, very good. The writing was right on as well, alittle out there but it was very funny when you hear all the analogies that the actors make with their lines. Very comical and if you liked Naked Gun series and the Hot Shot series you should love this one. I did.

A late entry in Leslie Nielsen's career-rebooting series of movie parodies, 1998's "Wrongfully Accused" treads familiar territory. However, the film will likely be catnip to fans of "Airplane," "Naked Gun," and "Police Squad." Written, produced, and directed by Pat Proft, a veteran writer on the "Police Squad" TV series and the "Naked Gun" movie trilogy, the movie is an endless string of hit-or-miss sight gags, bad puns, and slapstick. While showing his age, the 72-year-old Nielsen manages to keep up with the frantic pace. Proft's first and only directorial effort is a take-off on Harrison Ford's "The Fugitive," and Nielsen plays Ryan Harrison, a moniker among numerous obvious references, who is a music virtuoso also known as Lord of the Violin. Nielsen is passingly involved with the wife of Hibbing Goodhue, played by Michael York, and, when York is murdered, Nielsen is convicted of the crime, jailed, and sentenced to death. The set pieces imitate the original film with a train-bus wreck in which Nielsen escapes, a pursuit in the sewers, and a daring jump into a raging river. On the run, Nielsen seeks to prove his innocence by finding a one-armed, one-legged, one-eyed man, all the while pursued by Richard Crenna, a garrulus cop named Lieutenant Fergus Falls.

For movie buffs, the references to old movies are enough to make the film entertaining; from extended scenes that mimic "The Usual Suspects," "Mission Impossible," "Titanic," and "North by Northwest," to passing references to "The Empire Strikes Back," "Field of Dreams," and "Braveheart," to dialog lifted from "Casablanca," Proft's movie is great fun. Viewers are advised to sit through the wacky end credits, which like those of earlier Nielsen spoofs, include a number of genuinely funny attributions. Unfortunately, unlike other Nielsen spoofs, the cast is light on star cameos, and only York and Sandra Bernhardt are well known among the cast. While Melinda McGraw plays Nielsen's sidekick and love interest, she fails to make a strong impression, and the more than 35-year age difference between Nielsen and McGraw is borderline icky. However, the May-December attraction is a small quibble. The audience for "Wrongfully Accused" knows what they paid for, and the film generally delivers. However, those who hated "Airplane" and "Naked Gun" are warned to stay clear.

You do not go to see a Nielsen movie expecting anything else but a good laugh. You know that you will see a parody, based on one film, and a lot of references to other famous movies. The humor itself may get what they call rather low, but occasionally you will have a good laugh, and even some gags to remember. No social comments, no pretentions. This is exactly what this film is - an average level parody, with one memorable scene, and a few good other. Go in the right mood, do not expect too much, and you may enjoy it. 6/10 on my personal scale.