Directed by Jim Drake and written by Gene Quintano, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol is the fourth film of the Police Academy series in which the academy’s commandant decides to create a program where ordinary citizens help aid the city’s under worked and overstaffed police force. The film plays into the group of misfit cops who team up with some oddball citizens as an old nemesis returns to the academy to ensure that the program fails. With returning cast members Steve Guttenberg, Michael Winslow, Bubba Smith, David Graf, Marion Ramsey, Leslie Easterbrook, Bobcat Goldthwait, Tim Kazurinsky, Brian Tochi, Lance Kinsey, George R. Robertson, Scott Thomson, George Gaynes, and G.W. Bailey reprising their roles from past films. The film also stars Sharon Stone, David Spade, Brian Backer, Tab Thacker, Derek McGrath, Corrine Bohrer, and Billie Bird. Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol is a funny though very uneven film from Jim Drake.
The film revolves around a program where ordinary citizens help out their local police force to handle law and order as the police are coping with not being able to help their citizens. With the group of misfits police officers training a group of oddball citizens ranging from an old lady, a couple of skateboarders, a public defender, a photographer, and an enormous man, Commandant Eric Lassard (George Gaynes) hopes that the program will be success. While he has to attend a police conference overseas, he unfortunately has the program be watched by his graduates’ most-despised nemesis in Captain Thaddeus Harris (G.W. Bailey) who not only hopes for the program to fail but also usurp Lassard so he can become the academy’s new Commandant.
The film’s screenplay doesn’t just explore these group of cops helping out ordinary people but also cope with Captain Harris’ attempt to get the program shut down despite its support from the state governor and city’s mayor. It’s a classic snob vs. slob scenario of sorts where Captain Harris and his new insubordinate in Lt. Proctor (Lance Kinsey) try to make things tough for not just the cadets but also Lassard’s police trainers led by Sgt. Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg) who has a history with Harris as he tries to ensure the program’s success with his fellow cops. The script does have some subplots such as the cops trying to keep the troublemakers in skateboarders Arnie (Brian Backer) and Kyle (David Spade) as well as Tommy “House” Conklin (Tab Thacker) in check while Tackleberry (David Graf) befriends the elderly Mrs. Lois Feldman (Billie Bird) who shares Tackleberry’s love of violence. Another subplot involves Zed (Bobcat Goldthwait) falling for the photographer Laura (Corrine Boher) as he deals with the ongoing criticism of Captain Harris.
Jim Drake’s direction is all over the place in the fact that he does try to cram a lot of things into the film. While he does maintain elements of previous films in some of the gags that involves Tackleberry’s in-laws as well as a scene at the Blue Oyster Bar. Some of it involves a skateboarding sequence and a romantic scene between Zed and Laura as Drake wanted to put in a lot into the film. The result makes it very messy where it is a largely a cop-based comedy, it also wants to be a romantic film, a skateboarding movie, a martial arts film, and all sorts of things. It does get confusing even though Drake’s intention was to give something for everyone as he does keep the compositions simple with its close-ups and medium shots along with some inspired camera angles for the skateboarding sequences. Even the film’s climax where the police and the people from the program fend off against a group of escaped criminals involving planes and balloons as it does maintain a sense of thrill and hilarity. Overall, Drake creates an enjoyable yet flawed film about cops working with ordinary people in bringing law and order to their city.
Cinematographer Robert Saad does nice work with the cinematography as it‘s very straightforward for many of the daytime scenes set in Toronto along with some nighttime lighting schemes for the skateboarding sequences including a scene at the mall. Editor David Rawlins does excellent work with the editing with the cutting of the skateboard scenes as well as maintaining something straightforward for the comedy and action scenes. Production designer Trevor Williams, with set decorator Steve Shewchuk and art director Rhiley Fuller, do superb work with the look of the academy and its facilities as well as the mall and other scenes set in Toronto.
Costume designer Aleida MacDonald does terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly straightforward as well as the punk-biker look that Zed sports when he‘s off-duty. Sound editor Ron Clark does wonderful work with the sound as it plays into the sound of gunfire and other sound effects. The film’s music by Robert Folk is amazing for its mixture of bombastic orchestral music and some jazz pieces including some re-used themes from previous films while music supervisor David Chackler creates a fine music soundtrack that largely features an eclectic mix of music from hip-hop, pop, and rock including contributions from Chico Debarge and Brian Wilson.
The casting by Pamela Basker and Fern Champion is amazing as it features notable small roles from Brian Backer and David Spade (in his film debut) in their respective roles as the skateboard kids Artie and Kyle, Derek McGrath as the public defender Butterworth, Corrine Bohrer as the photographer Laura that Zed falls for, Scott Thomson as the bossy but incompetent cop Sgt. Copeland, Arthur Batanides and Jackie Joseph as Tackleberry’s in-laws, Andrew Paris as Tackleberry’s brother-in-law Bud, Colleen Camp as Tackleberry’s wife, Brian Tochi as Lassard’s academy representative Nogata at the conference, and Randall “Tex” Cobb as the main villain who would lead the film’s climax. Also making appearances in the film in the skateboarding sequences include such famed skateboarders Tony Hawk (who is also Spade’s skateboarder double), Steve Caballero, Chris Miller, Tommy Guerrero, Lance Mountain, and Mike McGill.
Other notable small roles include Tab Thacker as the enormous House whom Hightower knew as a kid, Sharon Stone in a terrific role as the journalist Claire Mattson whom Mahoney flirts with, and Billie Bird in a phenomenal scene-stealing performance as the elderly Mrs. Feldman who loves to kick ass and fire guns. Performances from Marion Ramsey as Sgt. Hooks, Michael Winslow as Sgt. Jones, Leslie Easterbrook as Lt. Callahan, David Graf as Sgt. Tackleberry, Bubba Smith as Sgt. Hightower, Tim Kazurinsky as Officer Sweetchuck, George R. Robertson as Commissioner Hurst, and Lance Kinsey as the bumbling Lt. Proctor are all great as they each bring their own brand of humor into their performances.
Bobcat Goldthwait is hilarious as Officer Zed as the reformed gang member who helps in training the citizens while dealing Captain Harris’ criticism. G.W. Bailey is brilliant as Captain Harris as the man who once trained his trainees as he hopes to bring Lassard’s program down. George Gaynes is superb as Commandant Eric Lassard as the man who created the program as he hopes to create some unity between the police and its citizens. Finally, there’s Steve Guttenberg in a fantastic performance as Sgt. Mahoney as Guttenberg maintains a sense of charm and wit to his role as the film marks his final appearance in the series.
Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol is a stellar film from Jim Drake. While it is one of the weakest entries in the film series, it does manage to bring in some big laughs and some entertaining moments where misfit cops work with oddball citizens to get the job done. In the end, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol is a wonderful film Jim Drake.
Police Academy Films: Police Academy - Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment - Police Academy 3: Back in Training - Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach - Police Academy 6: City Under Siege - Police Academy: Mission to Moscow
© thevoid99 2015
Directed by Jerry Paris and written by Gene Quintano, Police Academy 3: Back in Training is the story of the academy’s best graduates who are asked to return to the academy in order to train a new group of misfit recruits in order to save it from being shut down in a competition with a rival academy. The film is another comedy where cops do whatever it takes to save their academy as their new recruits include a cop’s wife, a Japanese police officer, a former merchant, and a reformed gang leader. With returning cast members Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow, David Graf, Leslie Easterbrook, Marion Ramsey, Bruce Mahler, Tim Kazurinsky, Bobcat Goldthwait, George R. Robertson, Lance Kinsey, Art Metrano, and George Gaynes all reprising their roles in the previous films. The film also stars Brian Tochi, David Huband, Shawn Weatherly, and Ed Nelson. Police Academy 3: Back in Training is a wild and exhilarating film from Jerry Paris.
When the state’s governor announces that its government is unable to support two police academies as one of them will be shut down, the two academies go into a competition where a committee will decide which one will stay and which one will shut down. That is pretty much the plot of the film where Commandant Eric Lassard (George Gaynes) brings back his top graduates from the past to spar with Commandant Mauser (Art Metrano) who leads the other academy. Yet, Mauser would get wind of what was to happen before the announcement as he and his assistant Captain Proctor (Lance Kinsey) team up with two of Lassard’s former cadets in Sgt. Blankes (Brant van Hoffman) and Sgt. Copeland (Scott Thomson) to ensure that Lassard’s academy goes down. Yet, Lassard brings in his top graduates in Sgt. Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), Sgt. Hightower (Bubba Smith), Sgt. Tackleberry (David Graf), Sgt. Jones (Michael Winslow), Sgt. Hooks (Marion Ramsey), and Lt. Callahan (Leslie Easterbrook) to train the new recruits any way they can as well as do some humiliating things to Mauser.
The film’s screenplay is sort of a rehash of the first film which was about a group of misfits who attend the police academy in their desire to be cops as this one is also about a band of misfits that includes Tackleberry’s brother-in-law Bud Kirkland (Andrew Paris), a young heir named Hedges (David Huband), a Japanese police officer named Nogata (Brian Tochi), a beautiful woman named Karen Adams (Shawn Weatherly) whom Mahoney falls for, and the wife of a cop in Mrs. Fackler (Debralee Scott). Also joining Lassard’s academy is the former merchant shop owner Sweetchuck (Tim Kazurinsky) and his old nemesis in reformed gang leader Zed (Bobcat Goldthwait) as they become roommates and later work together to help Lassard win over the committee. Especially as Mauser is willing to do anything to make Lassard and his academy look bad as he becomes cocky in his pursuit as well as be humiliated by Mahoney and his gang in a series of hilarious pranks.
Jerry Paris’ direction is quite simple in terms of the compositions as he doesn’t go for anything new though there is this nice balance between action and comedy. Most notably as Paris brings back a few gags from previous films while creating new ones that play into Mahoney and his gang trying to one-up and humiliate Mauser who is doing everything he can to impress this committee. Paris’ usage of close-ups and medium shots do play out as it relates to Nogata’s attraction towards Callahan as well as some of the moments involving Sweetchuck and Zed as they play off this odd couple of meekish nerd and wild slob, respectively. Though there’s a few moments where some of the humor doesn’t exactly work which does lag the pacing of the film a bit. There are moments where it is about a group of misfits trying to rise above everything and save the academy from being shut down as well as deal with those who are trying to take it down. Overall, Paris creates a very fun and exciting film about a group of misfit cops and some new recruits battling it out with another academy in order to save their own.
Cinematographer Robert Saad does nice work with the film‘s cinematography where it‘s quite straightforward for the daytime scenes while it‘s more effective for the scenes at night that includes the opening meeting Mauser holds with Proctor, Blankes, and Copeland at a parking garage. Editor Bud Molin does excellent work with the editing as it‘s straightforward with some stylish transitions and rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s humor and action scenes. Production designer Trevor Williams, with art directors Rhiley Fuller and Dennis Davenport and set decorator Sean Kirby, does brilliant work with the look of the academy as well as some of the locations in Toronto plus the look of Mauser‘s academy.
Costume designer Aleida MacDonald does superb work with the costumes from the different police uniforms such as the more dark-blue style of Lassard‘s academy to the more khaki-based look of Mauser‘s academy. Sound editor Dale Johnston does amazing work with the sound to play into the sound of gunfire and other sound effects including the self-made ones by Jones. The film’s music by Robert Folk is fantastic for its bombastic theme with some orchestral flourishes and jazz-based pieces while music supervisors Tena Clark and David Chackler bring in a soundtrack that features a mix of rock and pop music.
The casting by Fern Champion and Pamela Basker is great as it features notable small roles from David James Elliot as one of Mauser’s cadets, Ed Nelson as the governor, Bruce Mahler as Fackler, Arthur Batanides as Kirkland’s father, Georgina Spelvin as the hooker from the first film who humiliates Proctor in a funny way, David Huband as the posh cadet Hedges, Debralee Scott as Fackler’s wife who becomes a police cadet and falls for Bud Kirkland, Andrew Paris as Tackleberry’s brother-in-law Bud who becomes a cadet as he has the boxing skills to fight off criminals, the duo of Brant van Hoffman and Scott Thomson in their respective roles as the sniveling Blankes and Copeland who help Mauser in taking Lassard’s academy down, and George R. Robertson as Chief Hurst who becomes annoyed by Mauser‘s ass-kissing. Other notable small roles include Shawn Weatherly in a wonderful performance as Karen Adams as a cadet Mahoney takes a liking to as well as Brian Tochi in a terrific performance as the Japanese cadet Nogata who is skilled in karate as he falls for Callahan.
Lance Kinsey is very funny as the dim-witted Proctor who does everything for Mauser only to screw things up and also become a victim of the other Academy’s pranks. Marion Ramsey is fantastic as Hooks as she teaches the cadets in police work while being very suspicious about Blankes and Copeland. George Gaynes is superb as Commandant Eric Lassard as the eccentric academy leader who is hoping that his academy will win while just being focused on police work as he also proves to be a formidable badass. Art Metrano is excellent as Commandant Mauser as the film’s antagonist who tries to take down Lassard’s academy as his arrogance and brown-nosing ends up having him be the brunt of many of the pranks caused by Mahoney. Leslie Easterbrook is brilliant as Lt. Callahan who helps in the training of the new cadets while getting the attention of Nogata whom she is impressed by.
Michael Winslow is hilarious as Jones as he creates some noises to humiliate Mauser as well as help Nogata out in winning over Callahan. David Graf is terrific as Tackleberry as he helps Sweetchuck into become a tough police officer. Bubba Smith is amazing as Hightower as big man who gets things done while teaching cadets how to have police dogs as their equals. Tim Kazurinsky is fun to watch as the meek Sweetchuck who tries to gain some confidence as a cop. Bobcat Goldthwait is a riot as Zed as a reformed gang leader who decides to become a cop as he uses unconventional tactics to get results. Finally, there’s Steve Guttenberg in a marvelous performance as Mahoney as he aids in training the cadets as he also tries to boost their confidence while finding ways to humiliate Commandant Mauser.
Police Academy 3: Back in Training is a superb film from Jerry Paris. With its great cast as well as some very funny moments, it is a film that manages to be entertaining though it is quite flawed but saved by some of the scene-stealing performances of Art Metrano and Bobcat Goldthwait. In the end, Police Academy 3: Back in Training is a fantastic film from Jerry Paris.
Police Academy Films: Police Academy - Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment - Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol - Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach - Police Academy 6: City Under Siege - Police Academy: Mission to Moscow
© thevoid99 2015
Directed by Jerry Paris and screenplay by Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield, Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment is the sequel to the 1984 film where it revolves on six of its graduates who are assigned to help a police precinct captain to battle a local gang. The film plays into the world of gang culture as six young cops do whatever they can to battle this gang as Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, David Graf, Marion Ramsey, Michael Winslow, Bruce Mahler, and George R. Robertson, and George Gaynes all reprise their roles from the first film. Also starring Bobcat Goldthwait, Tim Kazurinsky, Lance Kinsey, Art Metrano, Colleen Camp, Peter Van Norden, and Howard Hesseman as Captain Pete Lassard. Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment is a fun and wild film from Jerry Paris.
When a local gang runs amok on a city as a police precinct captain has 30 days to deal with the situation, he is given six new recruits who had just graduated from the police academy as they deal with this wild gang. It’s a film that sort of picks up where the previous film left off as Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), Jones (Michael Winslow), Hightower (Bubba Smith, Tackleberry (David Graf), Hooks (Marion Ramsey), and Fackler (Bruce Mahler) are chosen to aid Captain Pete Lassard in shaping up his precinct which is filled with aging cops who are too overwhelmed to handle the situation. Yet, the local gang run by Zed McGlunk (Bobcat Goldthwait) are an unconventional gang who do what they want as the other problem Mahoney and his fellow graduates have is Lt. Mauser (Art Metrano) who also works at the precinct as he is trying to make sure they screw up so he can become the new captain of the precinct.
The film’s screenplay not only play to the struggle the rookies have to face in their very first assignment but also into the world of inter-police politics as Lt. Mauser is eager to make Cpt. Lassard look bad as Mahoney and some of the officers know exactly what Mauser is up to as they would pull a few pranks on him. There’s also some subplots as it relates to the rookies in their first assignment as some of them are paired with more experienced officers as Mahoney teams with a slob named Vinnie Schtulman (Peter Van Norden) and Tackleberry with Sgt. Kathleen Kirkland (Colleen Camp) whom he falls for as they both share a love of guns and firepower. The rookies’ encounter with Zed’s gang also has them meeting up with a frequent victim of the gang in Carl Sweetchuck (Tim Kazurinsky) who is put into some darkly-comical situations. The script succeeds in not just developing the rookies trying to get the job done but also take some major risks in putting Zed and his gang down for good while saving Captain Lassard’s job.
Jerry Paris’ direction is very lively as it is shot on location in Toronto and nearby locations in Ontario as he manages to keep things straightforward in the compositions. Notably as the streets in Toronto are given a very grimy look to play into a city coming undone by a gang as they wreak havoc on the street at it includes a scene walking into a supermarket and causing trouble with some funny moments. Paris’ usage of close-ups and medium shot do play into the action as well as some of the film’s comical moments that includes Jones using his martial arts skill to pretend he’s Bruce Lee or Hightower throwing a football to a street punk. The gags manage to keep things lively as it includes a scene at the Blue Oyster Bar where Zed’s gang definitely cross path with a bunch of men that shouldn’t be messed with. Paris also brings in bits of crass humor that is quite playful as it plays a moment in time where it was OK to be politically incorrect as well as elements that are quite silly but it’s not afraid to be silly or crass. Overall, Paris creates a very funny and engaging film about six rookies going all out against a street gang.
Cinematographer James Crabe does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography to play into the grimy look of the streets for some of the daytime exteriors as well as some unique lighting for its nighttime interior/exterior scenes. Editor Bob Wyman does terrific work with the editing as it‘s very straightforward to play into some of the film‘s humor and action sequences. Production designer Trevor Williams, with set decorators Robert C. Furginson and Dennis W. Peebles, does brilliant work with the look of the city streets to play into its sense of decay as it‘s being ruined by Zed‘s gang as well as the look of Zed‘s secret hideout.
Costume designer Bernie Pollack does nice work with the costumes as it mostly involve the uniforms and the grimy clothes of the gang. Sound editor Dale Johnston does superb work with the sound as it plays into the sound of gunfire and some of the sound effects that Jones make. The film’s music by Robert Folk is brilliant as it features the franchise’s theme as well as thrilling pieces involving the saxophone for its action as well as some of the romantic moments while the soundtrack includes some rock and pop music.
The casting by Pamela Basker and Fern Champion is great as it features some notable small roles from Julie Brown as a seamstress, Jason Hervey as a brat kid who refuses to go to school, Julie Paris as a check-out girl, Andrew Paris as Kirkland’s brother, Arthur Batanides and Jackie Joseph as Kirkland’s parents, Jennifer Darling as the city mayor, Kenji Shintani as a sushi chef, Ed Herlihy as Fackler’s veteran partner Dooley, Rich Hall as blond street punk, and George R. Robertson as Chief Hurst who demands Captain Lassard to turn things around. Other notable small roles include George Gaynes as the academy’s supervisor Commandant Lassard who would give his younger brother Pete the six rookies he needs, Tim Kazurinsky as a wimpy merchant named Sweetchuck who is a frequent victim of Zed and his gang, and Lance Kinsey in a funny performance as Mauser’s assistant Sgt. Proctor.
Peter Van Norden is terrific as the snobbish Schtulman who eats dirty food and always has his big dog Lou around him while Colleen Camp is wonderful as Kirkland who shares Tackleberry’s love of firearms and violence. Art Metrano is excellent as Lieutenant Mauser as a scheming officer who wants to oust Captain Lassard so he can run the precinct and be in total power as his funny moments involve him being the victim of the pranks. Bruce Mahler is very good as Fackler as the accident-prone officer who manages to use that flaw to his unknowing advantage while Marion Ramsey is superb as Hooks as she is forced to sit behind a desk and give out codes until she does what is right in the film’s climax. David Graf is brilliant as Tackleberry who not only copes with having the perfect woman as his partner but also in the fact that isn’t really experienced with being with women. Bubba Smith is fantastic as Hightower as the giant who not only gets the job done but also prove to be the one person that Zed’s gang is afraid of. Michael Winslow is amazing as Jones as he provides a lot of humor with his sound effects while being a total ass-kicker with his martial arts skills.
Bobcat Goldthwait is hilarious as Zed as a gang leader who likes to cause chaos while having a very sensitive side that makes him a very odd antagonist. Art Metrano is marvelous as Mauser as a lieutenant who wants to get rid of Captain Lassard as he mocks the new rookies as he also has an immediate dislike towards Mahoney as he becomes a victim of Mahoney’s pranks. Howard Hesseman is phenomenal as Captain Pete Lassard, Commandant Lassard’s younger brother, who copes with the on-going gang war as well as knowing that he has little time to shape things up in his precinct. Finally, there’s Steve Guttenberg in a remarkable performance as Mahoney as a rookie cop who deals with his first assignment while finding humor in his many situations while dealing with Mauser as he knows what he is up to.
Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment is an excellent film from Jerry Paris as it’s one of the finest films of the franchise. Most notably for its cast, music soundtrack, and its offbeat humor that manages to keep things being wacky as well as entertaining. In the end, Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment is marvelous film from Jerry Paris.
Police Academy Films: Police Academy - Police Academy 3: Back in Training - Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol - Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach - Police Academy 6: City Under Siege - Police Academy: Mission to Moscow
© thevoid99 2015
