Le Détonateur

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.

I read another reviewer's comments about Wrongfully Accused, and I am continually amazed at how many people judge movies like this as though they are meant to be serious cinematic endeavors. Leslie Nielsen's films, literally, are jokes, and if you can't take them that way then maybe it would be better if you didn't watch them. I only say this here rather than just to that reviewer because I think it's worth pointing out that, in case you couldn't already tell, this movie is a parody and is meant to be laughed at.

I am perfectly willing to admit that it is peppered with scenes that fall completely flat (the sex scene with the sports commentary in the background is a prime example) and much of Nielsen's acting is absolutely awful (also note that much of this is also a parody of similar bad acting in the movies that are being spoofed in this movie, such as The Fugitive and obviously some of the James Bond films), but again, you really need to keep in mind what kind of movie this is.

Besides, there are also plenty of truly hilarious scenes. I can't help cracking up at the train peeking around the rock at Nielsen as he tries to escape, or the scene where he bends down to get his foot out of the railroad tracks and is hit in the forehead by the crossing gate. This scene was also screwed up, because that crossing gate was down across the track rather than a road going over the tracks, and it stopped rising just above Nielsen's head. But who cares? Comedy is a surprise, if you just saw what was expected it wouldn't be funny!

I can't say that Wrongfully Accused promises a cerebral workout or any moving social commentary, but if you look at the cover of this movie and expect something like that, maybe you should stick to the kid's section at the video store, because you are probably a little out of your league. The rest of you should be able to find some things to laugh at in this movie. Just enjoy it for what it is, because there are really only two things that frost my butt, a snow cone about that high, and IMDb reviewers that can't take a good joke!

Leslie Nielsen is truly the grandmaster of slapstick comedies. In the new film "Wrongfully Accused," Nielsen once more proves that he is capable of saving a bad spoof from being bad. In it, he releases his natural talent of comic genius into his character similar to the one from the magnificent movie "The Fugitive"(Harrison Ford) and, of course, makes us laugh up a storm.

Leslie Nielsen is surprisingly energetic in this film, more than usual. I mean, it's not like him to do some of the things he does in this production. Then again, this is not your typical Nielsen movie in any means. The plot is awfully serious for a slapstick and the characters are too complicated. In a drama movie these things are all signs of skill, but for a movie that just wants to have fun, these things are flaws. Nielsen saves the production by doing what he can with the script.

Another problem of the film is that it virtually strained for laughs, to the point of making the audience think before they laugh. For example, the accused murder walks into a town labeled "The Town That Has More Police Than Anywhere in the Whole Wide World."

There are some quickie jokes that do work, for instance: In a hospital, the intercom speaker says "Dr. Kavorkian to Mr. Simson's room." Or how about when Ryan looks over Lake's photo album under the family tree, the father has two branches, her dad and Bill Clinton. The funniest: When Harrison makes the jump from the dam, from "Fugitive" you here the title song from "Baywatch" and see a group of attractive young lifeguards race to site. The US marshals shoot machine guns at the criminals' feet making them do an Irish dance.

"Wrongfully Accused" is the summer's second spoof movie. First along came the lame "Mafia," which didn't work because there were no main characters. To have Leslie Nielsen on your team when you're making a spoof, that's an almost certain success even if the film on its own is bad, like this movie. In other words, if this movie was absent of him and was still released in theaters it should have been called "Wrongfully Released."

Leslie Nielsen returns with another hilarious spoof, this time starring as violinist Ryan Harrison, who is framed for murdering Hibbing Goodhue. He needs to find a mysterious one-eyed, one-armed, one-legged man to get to the truth of the crime, all the while trying to hide from the pursuing authorities.

As with any Nielson spoofs, there are non-stop gags from start to finish that will have you horse-laughing. Slapstick humor is abundance here, but did get a little old in a plot where the momentum didn't flow as quick as Nielsen's earlier spoof movies like the Naked Gun films. However, the slapstick humor is done tastefully in a way that is doesn't get borderline annoying (i.e., forced comedy).

The characters are calm and serious as always in their demeanor, especially Nielson, spoofing his "The Fugitive" character well. Stars Wars, Titanic, Back to the Future and Anaconda are among the many movies hilariously spoofed - all giving us another entertaining and laughable comedy.

Grade B-

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.