Police Academy: Mission to Moscow (1994)

The Russian government hires the veterans of the Police Academy (1984) to help deal with the Mafia.

Director:

Alan Metter

Writers:

Neal Israel (characters), Pat Proft (characters)

Stars:

G.W. Bailey, George Gaynes, Michael Winslow

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Gaynes	...	Commandant Lassard
Michael Winslow	...	Sgt. Jones
David Graf	...	Sgt. Tackleberry
Leslie Easterbrook	...	Capt. Callahan
G.W. Bailey	...	Capt. Harris
Christopher Lee	...	Commandant Rakov
Ron Perlman	...	Constantine Konali
Claire Forlani	...	Katrina
Charlie Schlatter	...	Cadet Connors
Richard Israel	...	Adam Sharp
Gregg Berger	...	Lt. Talinsky
Vladimir Dolinskiy	...	Bellboy (as Vladimir Dolinsky)
Pamela Guest	...	Anchor Person
Stuart Nisbet	...	Anchor Person (as Stuart Nissbet)
David St. James	...	News Director

Storyline

The Russians need help in dealing with the Mafia and so they seek help with the veterans of the Police Academy (1984). They head off to Moscow, in order to find evidence against Konstantine Konali, who marketed a computer game that everyone in the world is playing. With a sequel to the game he wants to put backdoors in all computer systems on which it gets installed, thus providing access to the police and other government systems.

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Plot Keywords:

russia | mafia | commandant | captain | security system | 

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Taglines:

Kicking buttski. Making you laughski. The Academy is backski!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for comic sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 August 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow

Filming Locations:

Moscow, Russia

Box Office

Budget:

$6,200,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$126,247

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an interview, Leslie Easterbrook and Paul Maslansky spoke of the challenges of making this movie in Moscow during the coup in which Boris Yeltsin's White House was burned, and the television center was also stormed by government troops. There were numerous delays shooting on-location, due to interference from local authorities. On one occasion, even though Paul Maslansky had been given the go-ahead to film at the airport, when he and forty vehicles full of equipment, cast and crew arrived to the airport, they were told they were not being let in, due to the state of emergency. This caused filming of those scenes to be re-scheduled for ten days later, while the production instead moved over to Mosfilm, Moscow's main studio, to shoot on the cover sets. For the Gorky Park scenes, they arrived on-location, and were told by Russian officials they would not be shooting there that day. Cast and crew were often hungry, due to a local food shortage. Leslie said, "the story never really gelled, because it was impossible to shoot."

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Goofs

(at around 1h 7 mins) Towards the end of the movie, when plants are used as disguises to approach the "country home", the only round plant crosses the same sidewalk twice.

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Quotes

Sgt. Larvelle Jones: [Bellboy is eating in Lassard's hotel room, plates of food strewn everywhere. Jones & Tackleberry are outside. They see a messy room service tray. Jones knocks on door] Sir? I want to remind you the plane leaves at 3 o'clock!
Bellboy: [With a mouthful of water] In a bathroom.
Sgt. Larvelle Jones: Sir?
[Bellboy lets out a huge belch. Jones looks worried, sees 'Do Not Disturb' sign on door]
Sgt. Larvelle Jones: [to Tackleberry] Something about that sign disturbs...
Bellboy: [on toilet, burping, crying] Mama.
Sgt. Larvelle Jones: [to Tackleberry] What do you say we, uh...
Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry: I'm way ...
[...]

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Connections

Follows Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986)

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Soundtracks

Home on the Range
(uncredited)
Music by Daniel E. Kelley
Lyrics by Brewster M. Higley
Sung by George Gaynes

User Reviews

"They've been doing this act for over a hundred years."

What is it that's so resolutely unfunny about Mission to Moscow? Is it the lifeless direction? The disinterested performances? The lack of atmosphere? The joke-free script? It's all of these things, of course, but there's also something inexplicably poor about it that you just can't quite put your finger on.

The regulars are the major weak point. While the guest cast have the misjudged enthusiasm to irksomely overact, all the usual culprits seem embarrassed by the whole thing. None of them sell their underwritten, reheated lines, and the fact that Bubba Smith and Marion Ramsey failed to sign up is a damning indictment. What comes through the screen, from George Gaynes to David Graf, is the sense of souls bleeding. "Please get me a proper job, there must be a better way to pay my mortgage" these actors scream with every fibre of their being. Leslie Easterbrook gets her usual single "my character's got big breasts" joke - why does she even bother to sign up for this crap? Michael Winslow looks old, tired, and frankly bored with the whole thing. Was his involvement only confirmed at the last minute? Because while he gives a curiously muted performance throughout, the script also fails to accommodate his talents in almost any way. Note that this is the ONLY Police Academy sequel in which he doesn't do his (admittedly run into the ground) "Bruce Lee" schtick.

Police Academy managed to keep up the same level of quality between films three to six - they were all rubbish. But even by their low standards Mission to Moscow plumbs the depths, making Citizens on Patrol look like Annie Hall. New recruit Charlie Schlatter, there for the completely incongruous love interest theme, is never funny and the Russian characters are the crass stereotypes you'd expect. Any film that promises "we're going to kick buttski" is clearly dumber than is tolerable, and a tasteless reference to Chernobyl doesn't help matters.

The only Police Academy film made outside the 80s, it was produced five years after the last one - why?!!?? Was there a big demand in the market for sh*te? Some cartoon sound effects (whistles, birdcall, etc.) are added to the action to try and pep things up, but this really is a DOA of a movie. True to form (or should that be formula?) it ends with an extended chase sequence that is neither suspenseful nor convincing.

Just look at scenes like the one where G.W. Bailey gets hit in the face with stew. The stew is clearly missing his face and just lands on his chin, so Bailey (the only regular who tries) moves his face so that the full brunt of the stew will land on it. This dedication to duty is admirable, but also perfectly highlights the sloppy desperation of the whole thing.

The series' move from the teen fodder of the first two, 15 certificate, movies had been subverted into the last five, PG cert entries. This is at its lowest ebb here; a comedy that seems wholly aimed at the under-5s and doesn't know what to do with its characters. Russian acrobats entertain the kiddies while its ... er... "stars"... are left to stand around like second bananas, giving unfunny reaction shots.

Maybe it's the "fish out of water" feel of it all, with the somewhat flat Russian espionage themes failing to ignite. But whatever it is, Mission to Moscow feels like a TV sitcom with the canned laughter track removed. In any other franchise this would be described as an "unfortunate, sad end" to the series. With Police Academy however, finishing with one of the unfunniest comedies of all time seems strangely apt. 2/10.