The action star plays deadpan detective Frank Drebin Jr. in director Akiva Schaffer’s welcome sequel to the police-parody film franchise that began in 1988.

“I just trusted the script,” Neeson told Variety. “And knew it would get better the more they worked on it. [Director Akiva Schaffer] was the co-writer but there was always another writer on set — a friend of Akiva’s, obviously — and they would supply alternate endings to scenes. ‘Try this, try that.'”

Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson try to do what Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley did so effortlessly more than three decades ago. The result is a mixed bag at best.