Wrongfully Accused (1998)

From my favorite movies..

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Wrongfully Auccused as you can probably tell by the poster is a parody of the 1993 Harrison Ford flick "The Fugitive" starring Leslie Nielsen as 'Ryan Harrison'. The film didn't seem to have been released in the UK as I couldn't find a DVD or even a VHS anywhere so I imported my DVD copy from France (with English audio) to watch it and I've got to admit, I was quiet surprised. I will say, the first 30 minutes I was howling with laughter (especially the bus and train escape scene) but the rest of the film was still pretty funny but not as much 'laugh out loud' jokes as the first half. My only main problem with the film is that some scenes towards the end were a bit slow with not that funny jokes, other than that, It was a good comedy. Definitely a lot funnier than Dracula: Dead and Loving or any of the overrated 'Scary Movie' movies you get these days, also Leslie Nielsen looks like he's having fun in this movie unlike Dracula which he looked like he was sleepwalking and board throughout. BTW The Simpsons Movie ripped off one of the jokes from this movie (specifically the one where Ryan Harrison is in the fishing store and sees a 'wanted' poster of him and decides to draw over his face then the store clerk sees a guy that looks the same as the scribbled Ryan Harrison poster).

Wrongfully Accused (1998): Dir: Pat Proft / Cast: Leslie Nielsen, Kelly Le Brock, Richard Crenna, Michael York, Melinda McGraw: Spoof of The Fugitive with Leslie Nielsen as a violinist framed for murder but he escapes thanks to a bus wreckage. He is in search of the one eyed, one armed, one legged man who committed the murder. He is periodically joined by Kelly Le Brock. Pure formula with director Pat Proft doing his best at setting up sight jokes but story is thread bare. Nielsen's role is recycled from his superior work in The Naked Gun films yet he still maintains a level of straight face humour that works to his favour as he struggles to clear his name. Le Brock is basically a cardboard romantic prop who serves little purpose. Richard Crenna has the standard role of police inspector who is only scarcely funny. Michael York is wasted in a role he probably received right after his deadpan role in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Melinda McGraw is cast as the possible mistress to the York character but the character never develops beyond the 007 reference. Like Spy Hard the premise is all spoof reciting its lead. This can be funny, and Nielsen still rises above it despite the fact that it is lower level work. The production values succeed in imitating the films they are making fun of, however nobody will accuse the screenwriter of putting any ambition into a story. Score: 4 / 10

When it came out in 1998, this film was hammered critically, but to be honest, I really don't have a problem with it, in fact, it is probably one of the funniest films I've ever seen, spoofing so many famous moments in film history including The Empire Strikes Back, North by Northwest, The Fugitive and many other timeless classics. That may not sound like much to begin with, but when you see how these spoofs are woven into the story, you'll be laughing your socks off in no time. Also the way they transform these spoofs is fantastic as well, changing the overbearingly large Bi-plane from North by Northwest into an RC model, and having Leslie Nielsen's character washing and polishing the van during a ripped off version of the Blockade scene from Clear and Present Danger. On top of that, the acting is very good as well, with Leslie Nielsen playing the wrongfully accused Ryan Harrison, a man on the run for the murder of a rich statesman who was in fact killed as part of a Terrorist Insurtion. The story is you're basic sort of thing, ripping off the story of the Fugitive mainly, but other than that, it's the humour you've got to keep an eye out for. I recommend it to everyone!

The turn of the century ignited a flame from what was once a mere glowing coal in the spoof industry. With films such as Epic Movie, Superhero Movie and Disaster Movie, it has become easy to see why this genre is mostly seen as feeble, with even weaker reviews to support it.Wrongfully Accused however is one of the very few spoof films that are worth giving a second look. Leslie Nielsen lends his natural parody mindset to this 1998 spoof of The Fugitive, as well as a cleverly delivered collection of other films such as Braveheart, Mission Impossible and Titanic. Ryan Harrison (played by Nielsen) has been, as the title states, wrongfully accused. Of murder that is. While running from the police, led by Lieutenant Fergus Falls (portrayed by Richard Crenna of Rambo fame), Harrison manages to not only escape from execution, but also disguise himself as a gardener, a fisherman named Buzz'n Frog, and a doctor, while acting as a private detective himself in an attempt to stop the killing of Sir Robert McKintyre from those who have framed him.As a Leslie Nielsen fan who appreciates his unique and natural sense of humor and expression, I would say Wrongfully Accused is one of his best films – a winner in not only the spoof genre, but in the comedy world as a whole. The greater your knowledge of films, the more you will appreciate this movie. Wrongfully Accused boasts many memorable quotes and hilarious scenes which never lose their flavor, and will put a smile on the faces of the whole family, young and old. Although it lacks blockbuster special effects and a strong original storyline, I feel it is a true comedy classic worth nothing less than 8 out of 10.