Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989)

Those bumbling cadets take to the streets when three inept goons successfully orchestrate a metropolitan crime wave.

Director:

Peter Bonerz

Writers:

Neal Israel (characters), Pat Proft (characters)

Stars:

Bubba Smith, David Graf, Michael Winslow

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bubba Smith	...	Hightower
David Graf	...	Tackleberry
Michael Winslow	...	Jones
Leslie Easterbrook	...	Callahan
Marion Ramsey	...	Hooks
Lance Kinsey	...	Proctor
Matt McCoy	...	Nick
Bruce Mahler	...	Fackler
G.W. Bailey	...	Harris
George Gaynes	...	Lassard
Kenneth Mars	...	Mayor
Gerrit Graham	...	Ace
George R. Robertson	...	Hurst
Brian Seeman	...	Flash
Darwyn Swalve	...	Ox

Storyline

A string of business robberies have taken place in the city's Wilson Heights neighborhood, all done by the same three crooks. Captain Thaddeus Harris is no longer in the same precinct with a certain group of cops that he doesn't like. That's why Harris is so happy to be in the Wilson Heights precinct. But then The Mayor tells Harris that business in the city is plummeting because of the robberies. Since there appears to be a leak in Harris's precinct, the Governor has sent in a team to stop the Wilson Heights gang. Much to Harris's dismay, the team is led by Commandant Eric Lassard, so Harris knows who the team members are -- exactly the cops that he doesn't like. The team members are Nick Lassard, Moses Hightower, Eugene Tackleberry, Larvell Jones, Debbie Callahan, Laverne Hooks, and Douglas Fackler. The stakes are raised when Commandant Lassard is accused of being the mastermind behind the robberies, and the team must clear his name.

---

Plot Keywords:

police academy | sixth part | sequel | jewelry store robbery | 1980s | 

---

Taglines:

The Grads are going undercover in the city to unmask the mastermind of crime.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 March 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Police Academy 6: The London Beat

Filming Locations:

1100 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,901,971, 12 March 1989, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$11,567,217

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The criminal organization behind the crime wave in the city is called the Wilson Heights Gang, a reference to Wilson Heights Boulevard, a street in the Downsview area of Toronto, Canada. The specific area itself is called Wilson Heights. The name is also believed to be a reference to the director of Police Academy (1984), Hugh Wilson.

---

Goofs

The writing on internal precinct doors, transformer boxes in the mastermind's lair, and a sign on the bus depot fence are all hand painted in the exact same style and font.

---

Quotes

Ox: Knock, knock!
Sergeant Moses Hightower: Who's there?
Ox: Buu!
Sergeant Moses Hightower: Buu, who?
Ox: Quit crying! This will be over in a moment!
[Hightower lets go of Ox]
Sergeant Moses Hightower: Fighting is one thing, but bad jokes is where I draw the line!
[Hightower hits Ox and knocks him out]

---

Alternate Versions

UK cinema and video versions shortened the scene where Lassard and Fackler go to the pool room. After entering from outside, it cuts to the inside on the line "Watch this. I'm going to hustle this old fart for everything he owns", completely omitting Lassard and Fackler's entrance from the inside. This was to remove all shots of nunchakus being thrown behind the bar, as their appearance was strictly prohibited in UK films at the time. The cuts were restored for the 2004 DVD release.

---

Connections

Follows Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985)

---

Soundtracks

What's The Matter With Your World
Performed by Melle Mel (as Mele Mel) and Ralph Blandshaw (as R.C. Vansilk)
Written by Melle Mel (as Mele Mel), Ralph Blandshaw (as R.C. Vansilk) and Ron Dean Miller
Courtesy of Posse Records, Inc.

User Reviews

We're the ones under siege, folks...

As I sit here before my keyboard, there is a slight pause. I cannot fathom how to explain my overwhelming sense of utter bafflement regarding the "Police Academy" series. In two days I have written five reviews on the films in chronological order. I have given my thoughts on each film and, attached to each review, a tad bit more insight into the series itself from my own personal viewpoint. The tension is building. Just think -- one more review after this and I will have reviewed all seven films. Will there be any more entries into the epic saga of awful proportions? I sincerely hope not.

"Police Academy 6: City Under Siege" can best be described with one word: Horrific. I have never seen "'Manos': The Hands of Fate," which I hear from reliable sources is the worst film to have ever been recorded on celluloid. But I have seen my fair share of crappy films -- especially those tasty "MSTK3000" treats -- and so I have a bit of background on the subject.

Okay, seeing how the first two "Police Academy" films raked in 180 million dollars, I can see there being a third film -- perhaps. But a fourth film? No way. Yet it was made. And it flopped. And yet they still made a fifth film (which also flopped). They should never have proceeded to shove this mess into production. Six "Police Academy" films? No thank you.

Steve Guttenberg has left, Bobcat Goldthwait has left, and so have a few other minor actors -- but the main cast remains (and they will until the end of the series). If you haven't been able to tell by now, I'm running out of things to say in my reviews that I have not covered in previous ones. And so I will continue to ramble on pointlessly until an idea strikes me as clever.

The city is under siege! Who cares? The executives, of course! A metropolitan crimewave hits the city of our bumbling cadets, and so Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), Eugene Tackleberry (David Graf), Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow), and Laverne Hooks (Marion Ramsey) are called into action to find the jewel burglar and bring him to justice! Chaos and pratfalls proceed! Laughs proceed with caution and stumble, just like the cops in the movie, along the way! So, in conclusion, this is an absolutely laugh-free movie! Why am I typing in exclamation? You tell me!

Peter Bonerz directed this movie. Bonerz is a veteran of slapstick television -- so was Jerry Paris ("Police Academy 2" and "3"), and so it makes me curious: Do executives at Warner Bros. not understand that there is a difference between TV and feature films? Stupid little pratfalls and loud, noisy Looney-Tune-type sound effects do not make a very good theatrical film. This is like a cartoon transformed into some sort of horrible cartoon-film hybrid. It is evident that Bonerz, like the rest of the directors from this series, has a sense of what makes a funny half-hour television show, but he is lacking the feel for cinematic comedy.There is a big difference. Warner Bros. needs to realize this. For the most part, "Police Academy 6" (and all the films, for that matter) involve stupid banana-peel jokes. I've heard and seen funnier things from kindergarteners. And that's pretty sad.

"Police Academy 6: City Under Siege" is not funny at all, and to be brutally honest, that's all there is to know.

0/5 stars. Turkey.

• John Ulmer