Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989) starring Bubba Smith, David Graf, Michael Winslow, Leslie Easterbrook, Marion Ramsey, Lance Kinsey, Matt McCoy, Bruce Mahler, G.W. Bailey, George Gaynes directed by Peter Bonerz Movie Review

Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Marion Ramsey as Sgt. Laverne Hooks in Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989)

A Crime Against Comedy

And so the senseless saga continues and for the sixth year in a row a new "Police Academy" movie hit the big screen and like the other sequels it was a case of it being worse than the one before. To be frank long before the franchise got to "Police Academy 6: City Under Siege" it had passed it's best by date and now was basically delivering the slimmest of storylines just so that it could make a buck out of those familiar characters telling the same old jokes. In fact you could say that "Police Academy 6" was the sequel which finally broke the camel's back and made those behind the franchise realise that it was coming to an end due its poor showing in the US Box Office. And so whilst "Police Academy 6" maybe about are favourite bungling officers stopping a crime wave and unveiling the identity of a criminal mastermind it's really all about the same old jokes again!

As a crime wave rocks through Captain Harris's (G.W. Bailey) precinct, Commissioner Hurst (George R. Robertson) is forced to call in additional help in trying to solve the mystery of who is behind all the crime. Calling upon Commandant Eric Lassard (George Gaynes) for his help Lassard enlists the help of his favourite officers to solve the crime but as usual between their bungling ways and Harris's dislike of them nothing goes to plan. But when Lassard ends up being wrongly accused and is suspended the officers crack down and get serious about solving the crime and clearing his name.

Bruce Mahler and George Gaynes in Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989)

The thing about the "Police Academy" movies is that they were always funnier when it was about people being trained up and when they tried to deliver storylines where the officers try to stop crime they became incredibly weak. And so in "Police Academy 6" we get the weak storyline of a crime wave going on in the city and through rather a pointless and extracted back story Lassard and his top officers are drafted in to help solve the crime. Now to be honest you never expect anything of any substance from a "Police Academy" storyline but the fluff which is created for this 6th movie is barely enough to fill half an hour and I swear you get more of a plot in an adult movie. And so what we have is 30 minutes of story and almost 60 minutes of stereotypical "Police Academy" gags.

Now there are some funny gags in "Police Academy 6", the whole set up of the criminal mastermind being hidden behind the screen whilst unoriginal is amusing. And whilst it is expected the various ways that the officers give Captain Harris a dose of his own medicine, such as the exploding bank note scene are fun. But then whilst you enjoy Michael Winslow doing an impromptu Jimi Hendrix impression then seeing him do his Bruce Lee impression again is just dull. And so to be honest are all the familiar gags which return from timid Hooks suddenly roaring, through to men unable to take their eyes off of Captain Debbie Callahan's shapely figure.

And so we have the performances and with Steve Guttenberg still staying well clear, and who can blame him, we get Matt McCoy returning as Sgt. Nick Lassard and trying to fill the gap which is left. And sadly it still doesn't work because it still feels wrong for a "Police Academy" movie not to feature Mahoney even if many of the familiar faces return including Bruce Mahler as Sgt. Douglas Fackler. Maybe it's a case that familiarity breeds contempt because by this 6th movie all of the regulars from G.W. Bailey as Harris through to Lance Kinsey as Lt. Proctor fail to really deliver the laughs and they all seem like they are coasting along doing what they needed to collect their pay check. Even those who play the criminals such as Gerrit Graham and Darwyn Swalve fail to really make you laugh despite an almost 3 stooges like set up.

What this all boils down to is that like its predecessors "Police Academy 6: City Under Siege" is once again another disappointing outing from the "Police Academy" gang. It is all so very tired and obvious with the same old jokes being rolled out in the hope that they will still be funny for those who have waded through the previous 5 movies.


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