“The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” (裸の銃を持つ男), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1989 (film 1988), B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) E286

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the first Japanese cinema release of David Zucker’s The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (裸の銃を持つ男), starring Leslie Nielsen as the magnificently incompetent Lt. Frank Drebin. The film was produced in 1988, and it first opened theatrically in Japan on 22 April 1989, distributed domestically by Paramount / UIP.

The first film in the hugely popular Naked Gun trilogy grew out of the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker television series Police Squad! and stars Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, Ricardo Montalbán and O. J. Simpson. The plot sees Drebin uncover an extraordinary conspiracy to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to Los Angeles, while simultaneously creating almost as much chaos as the criminals he is pursuing.

Poster design
A fantastic and unmistakably Japanese late-1980s comedy design, dominated by Leslie Nielsen riding an enormous golden bullet around the globe, revolver in one hand and police identification in the other. Surrounding him is a wonderfully chaotic international cast montage in which photographic heads are grafted onto deliberately crude cartoon bodies—including Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, Ricardo Montalbán and O. J. Simpson—perfectly reflecting the film’s anarchic visual humour.

Across the top, the huge red Japanese copy announces 「アメリカの『誇り』フランク警部ついに全世界へ出動!!」, approximately “America’s ‘pride,’ Inspector Frank, finally heads out into the whole world!!” A second line proudly advertises the film’s American commercial success, while the lower half is anchored by the enormous scarlet Japanese title 裸の銃を持つ男.

The giant bullet, globe, exaggerated caricatures and brilliant turquoise background make this one of the most exuberant Japanese designs for the series—loud, absurd and perfectly suited to Frank Drebin’s particular brand of disaster.

It is over 37 years old!

Condition
Excellent. The poster retains superb colour saturation, with the turquoise background, vivid red typography and golden bullet remaining exceptionally strong. There are only very minor signs of age and handling, with no significant condition issues affecting the central artwork or typography. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.