Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach (1988)

The Police Academy's commandant will be honored at a police convention in Miami Beach. At the airport he picks a wrong bag with stolen diamonds. The "owners" want them back.

Director:

Alan Myerson

Writers:

Neal Israel (characters creator), Pat Proft (characters creator)

Stars:

Bubba Smith, David Graf, Michael Winslow

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bubba Smith	...	Hightower
David Graf	...	Tackleberry
Michael Winslow	...	Jones
Leslie Easterbrook	...	Callahan
Marion Ramsey	...	Hooks
Janet Jones	...	Kate
Lance Kinsey	...	Proctor
Matt McCoy	...	Nick
G.W. Bailey	...	Harris
George Gaynes	...	Lassard
Rene Auberjonois	...	Tony
George R. Robertson	...	Hurst
Tab Thacker	...	House
Archie Hahn	...	Mouse
James Hampton	...	Mayor of Miami

Storyline

Indeed, it seems that some people never learn, and after the recent fiasco of conniving Captain Harris in Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987), once more, the sneaky officer wants to take over the ageing Commandant Lassard's job, and step into his shoes. This time, the perfect opportunity arises in the shape of the prestigious "Police Officer of the Decade" convention in sunny Miami Beach, to commemorate Lassard's dedication to the force; however, a fateful encounter with an audacious trio of diamond thieves leads to a dangerous, high-speed chase across the Everglades. Now, it is up to Commandant Lassard's nephew, Sergeant Nick Lassard, and the Academy's loyal graduates to save the day. Can the boys thwart Harris' plans?

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | voyeur | police helicopter | police academy | fifth part | 

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Taglines:

Captain Harris is about to lose his trouser and his mind in Miami!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

In addition to doubling for Lance Kinsey during his water skiing scene, David Reinhart had also constructed the set used in that scene. A year later, Reinhart would perform another barefoot skiing stunt in the James Bond film Licence to Kill (1989).

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Goofs

(at around 36 mins) During the shark attack rescue scene, Tackleberry's gun is pointed at the shark's head sticking out of the water, the gun visibly above sea level. However, in the next shot, Tackleberry's gun and the shark are now underwater.

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Quotes

Capt. Thaddeus Harris: Proctor! Where is Proctor?

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Alternate Versions

On Network TV versions of the film, 2 scenes are added to fill time. One scene had Captain Harris and Lieutenant Proctor arriving at the hotel in Miami with a goat they had on their airplane. One scene occurs in the Police showcase area where people are trying out various items such as pepper spray, handcuffs, and bulletproof car shields; Tony is seen talking to a friend of his named Larry. He tries to get Larry to talk Commandant Lassard into giving him the camera with the stolen diamonds in it by telling him a story of how his dead wife had a camera just like the one Lassard's carrying. Feeling pity for him, Lassard is about to hand Larry the camera until Larry asks "is there anything I could do for you in return". Lassard says yes and has Larry take an official Police fingerprint identification test. Larry's discovered to be "a known felon" and he runs off without the camera. Tony and his goons walk casually away followed by Tony getting upset and hitting a police car shield with his hand and hurting it.

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Connections

Referenced in Blue Mountain State: One Week (2011)

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Soundtracks

The Ride of the Valkyries
(uncredited)
Composed by Richard Wagner

User Reviews

Poor

Police Academy 5 (1988)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Cmndt. Lassard (George Gaynes) is forced into retirement but he does get a trip to Miami Beach and of course his gang goes along. Lassard picks up the wrong luggage at the airport and soon jewel thieves are after him. The series was going downhill pretty fast here and with the absence of Steve Guttenberg there's really not too much anyone can do. Not to mention that the look and feel of this has TV movie written all over it. The biggest problem is that the jokes just aren't here. The screenplay is full of childish moments but none of them gets laughs and I might go even further and say the film is lazy by recycling more jokes from previous films. The best sequence is when Harris (G.W. Bailey) falls into the water and gives a loud scream when an alligator starts to come after him. Smith, Graf, Winslow and Easterbrook are all back but there's no lead here strong enough to carry the picture and none of these actors can do it on their own. I'm sure fans of the film, including myself, will get a few grins out of the movie and the cast members do have a certain amount of charm but this should have been it for the series.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 March 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Police Academy V

Filming Locations:

Fontainebleau Hilton Resort - 4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,106,661, 20 March 1988

Gross USA:

$19,510,371

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$19,510,371

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1