Scuola di polizia 5: Destinazione Miami

"Police Academy 5" is a pure mess of a film. This time our heroes travel to Miami to honor their commandant. However, they end up chasing three dim-witted jewel thieves who are just as annoying as the primary cast. A film that should be avoided at all costs. Turkey (0 out of 5 stars).

I'm glad that they finally realised that a criminal to battle against is better than just the in house arguing with Harris and Proctor with a crime chucked in at the end, although you've got to feel sorry for Proctor. If only he'd made friends with Mahoney instead of Harris, he's a sweetheart really.

This film is definitely better than the last. It may be due to the fact that there are less characters this time. It may even be the best of the Police Academy's overall.

We get to see Lassard causing real chaos hear instead of just his two minutes at the beginning and the end as normal.

The boat chase was a bit too similar to the 3rd film and the air chase in number 4, but it works better here as it has more of a context.

I like Tackleberry being so child like and the chance to see more of everyone else's character, but despite the fact I used to fancy Matt McCoy as Nick, he seems slimey now for me.

I'm hoping for a similar format for the next two.

616.85/1000.

Miami Vice is an obvious influence here ... and it is nice that we do not get another "let's recruit" new cops and train them movie ... even though this is called Police Academy and that is what that would mean now isn't it? Don't mind that ... but as you could already tell from the previous one, spewing those out with such a frantic pace you could tell, new ideas where sparse.

Where to go and what to do? Maybe that was the reason one of the main guys who got famous with the series got out and did not include himself in this part: Steve Guttenberg. He might have been shooting another movie too, not sure what the reasons where. We get people from previous movies though ... many of them. Especially our favorite guys to hate ... who have a tough job as I already said in the previous movies review.

The scenes on the Miami beach are just plain ridiculous and really seem like sketch comedy with no real value ... other than to fill the run time of the movie and add a gag per minute "score". Even in the previous one where they went to a gay bar (again) for example, you may wonder something that is being asked here: why do I keep falling for these? Because it is a comedy would be the right answer I reckon ... anyway, maybe you care, maybe you don't ... but for a completist, I had to watch them ... and I will revisit the other remaining two movies too ... someday soon.

For what it's worth, it's the best of the films without Steve Guttenberg. That's faint praise, but the series was running mostly on his charm and likeability.

All non-Guttenberg factors being equal, in a lot of ways it's a (slight) improvement over the fourth film. The overall plot isn't exceptionally outlandish; befuddled jewel thieves is a more realistic setup than a citizens' police force or the mayor of the city orchestrating a crime wave. The cast are all game, and George Gaynes is clearly having a ball.

I wouldn't actually spend a lot of money on the film, but if it's in TV some lazy Saturday, there are worst ways to kill a few hours.

"Police Academy V: Assignment: Miami Beach" continues the on-going "Police Academy" "comedies," if you wish. I call them trash.

The first had a few laughs, but was basically a rip-off of "Stripes" with Bill Murray. The second film was decent, and had just enough laughs to watch for. The third was one of those Sunday afternoon flicks. The rest are absolute, slobbering, grimy, putrid trash.

The plot involves Police Chief Lassard heading off to Miami Beach to accept an award. At the airport, he accidentedly switches suitcases with jewel thieves, who want their diamonds back...

This is the excuse for laughs not even half-baked. As always, the things one laughs at are those that the writers did not intend the audience to laugh at, like the end "action" sequence involving alligators, crocodiles, or whatever those fake puppets were.

I don't know how the "Police Academy" series ever got any more productions after the second or third film, but they did. Perhaps, in a sick, demented way, it's for the better. It ruined Steve Guttenberg's career, and gave all aspiring comedy writers something to "not do" when writing a comedy.

1/5 stars--

John Ulmer