Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment

Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Jerry Paris. It is the first of six sequels in the Police Academy series.

Police Academy 2:
Their First Assignment
Theatrical poster by Drew Struzan
Directed byJerry Paris
Produced byPaul Maslansky
Leonard Croll
Written byBarry W. Blaustein
David Sheffield
Based on
Starring
Music byRobert Folk
CinematographyJames Crabe
Edited byBob Wyman
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • March 29, 1985 (1985-03-29)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7.5 million[1][2]
Box office$115 million[3]

Many actors return from the first film to respectively reprise their roles. Steve Guttenberg reprises his role as Mahoney, the class clown; former American football player Bubba Smith returns as the colossal Hightower; Marion Ramsey is featured again as Laverne Hooks; David Graf returns as gun-crazy Officer Eugene Tackleberry; Michael Winslow returns as sound effects master Officer Larvell Jones, and veteran actor George Gaynes returns as Commandant Eric Lassard. This was the only film in the series that does not feature Leslie Easterbrook as Lt. Debbie Callahan. This is the first and only film in the series to receive a PG-13 rating.

New faces in Police Academy 2 include Howard Hesseman as Captain Pete Lassard (the brother of Police Academy commandant Eric Lassard); Bobcat Goldthwait as Zed, the leader of "The Scullions", an obnoxious gang; Art Metrano as Lt. Mauser; Peter Van Norden as slobbish police dog Officer Vinnie Schtulman; Tim Kazurinsky as hapless business owner Carl Sweetchuck; and Lance Kinsey as Sgt. Proctor. In the film, the Police Academy cadets have graduated and are assigned to the worst precinct in town, where they have to help Captain Pete Lassard fight Zed's gang.

Plot

After a random attack the night before by a local gang known as "The Scullions" and their infantile leader Zed McGlunk (Bobcat Goldthwait), Chief Henry Hurst (George R. Robertson) arrives at the 16th precinct and notifies its captain, Pete Lassard (Howard Hesseman) that the precinct is the worst in the city. Lassard protests saying that his officers are out-manned and old, and cannot get the job done any longer. Nevertheless, Hurst gives Lassard 30 days to turn the precinct around or he is out. Before Hurst leaves, Lieutenant Mauser (Art Metrano) schemes his way into getting a promotion to Captain should Lassard fail. Capt. Lassard then calls his brother Eric (George Gaynes) who is in charge of the Police Academy and asks him for six new recruits. Mauser is seen talking with his dim-witted partner, Sgt. Proctor (Lance Kinsey), as he attempts to take control of the precinct.

Commandant Lassard's top graduates Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow), Eugene Tackleberry (David Graf), Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), Laverne Hooks (Marion Ramsey), and Douglas Fackler (Bruce Mahler) arrive from the police academy and join the 16th precinct with some of them assigned to a veteran officer partner. Fackler is assigned with Dooley (Ed Herlihy), Mahoney to Vinnie Schtulman (Peter van Norden), and Tackleberry to Sgt. Kathleen Kirkland (Colleen Camp). Tackleberry later confides to Mahoney that he may have fallen in love with Kirkland.

Mauser attempts numerous times to sabotage the new recruits while personally targeting Mahoney. During a patrol, Mahoney and Schtulman spot a robbery at a merchant's place, but the robbers escape in the confusion caused in part by responding officers. Mauser is ready to suspend them, but Mahoney makes a passionate plea that convinces Lassard to give them another chance. While all this is going on, Zed and his gang go "shopping" in a supermarket, causing havoc and chaos.

Mauser gives Mahoney a new assignment: patrolling a tunnel which results in him and his partner being covered with soot. He gets revenge on Mauser by switching his shampoo with Tackleberry's epoxy resin solution from a helmet repair kit, which glues Mauser's hands to his hair. He ends up embarrassing himself in front of the station and has to wear a wig through the remainder of the film. Capt. Lassard spots some of Zed's men and tries to deal with them, but is over-powered and spray-painted. This humiliating act emboldens Lassard to allow the precinct to use "whatever means possible" to help contain the gang. Progress is made and most of the gang is captured in an incident at The Blue Oyster Bar, but Mauser informs the captain that he had most of the charges dropped due to excessive force and procedure violations. Mahoney sees that Mauser did this on purpose, so as revenge he informs the nurse in charge of a body cavity search ordered earlier to perform the procedure on Mauser.

Later, Tackleberry goes on a date with Kirkland, where they stay out late dancing. They profess their love for each other and they make love (after removing their numerous concealed weapons). Captain Lassard goes to see his brother Eric at a Japanese steakhouse and Eric comes up with an idea to hold a fair. On the night of the fair though, Zed's men trash the place. Lassard is out of a job the next day, while Mauser is promoted to captain. His first act is to remove Mahoney and Schtulman, who is quick to object to Mahoney's dismissal.

Mahoney, Schtulman, and Lassard get together in a last-ditch attempt to stop the gang. They send in Mahoney undercover to infiltrate the gang. Lassard and Schtulman wire him with a Mr. Microphone. Under the guise of "Jughead," formerly of the gang "The Archies", he is able to infiltrate the gang and find out both their hiding spot (the abandoned Griffith Park Zoo) and the name of their leader. However, his cover is blown after the microphone cuts into a radio ad, which leads to Captain Lassard calling every man to the location. The officers arrive, but are stopped by Mauser. Mauser attempts to conduct a raid, but Fackler accidentally bumps him in an air duct and pushes him inside, which leads to Mauser being captured by Zed and his gang. The officers stage their own raid and manage to overpower and arrest the gang. Zed attempts to escape with Mahoney, but Lassard blocks his escape and prepares to shoot Zed. However, Mahoney punches Zed down a flight of stairs, where Hooks arrests him. It is then revealed that Lassard's gun was not loaded, as he "hasn't carried live ammo since '73". Lassard is later reinstated as captain, as are Mahoney and Schtulman on the force, while Mauser is demoted back to lieutenant for nearly blowing Lassard's raid.

The officers (including the re-instated Lassard) attend Tackleberry and Kirkland's wedding. They drive off the police academy lot in the monster truck Bigfoot.

Cast
Main article: List of Police Academy characters

The Six New 16th Precinct Officers

The Rest Of The 16th Precinct

Other

The Scullions

Production

The first film had cost $4.8 million but the second was $7.5 million. Producer Paul Maslansky said the difference was due to filming in Los Angeles rather than Toronto, as in the original. "Shooting in Los Angeles is expensive," he said. "Not because of the city officials; they provide every cooperation. It's the merchants and the property owners who can really hit you. There's so much filming going on that they ask a lot of money for location sites, parking, etc." Maslansky also said "Naturally the actors wanted more money to do the sequel. The above-the- line (principal talent) costs are about a million and a half, and that includes my own fee." He added "We lost some time because I had to change directors after a couple of weeks. But Jerry Paris... has done a great job of catching up."[2]

"I wasn't too sold on doing the sequel," said Guttenberg. "I didn't think the script was as good as the first one. But it has been improved, and after I talked with Paul, I decided to give it another try."[2]

Reception

Box office

Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment opened on 1,613 screens, grossing $10,675,896 in its opening weekend, setting a record for March.[4] It was the 11th highest-grossing film in the United States in 1985 with a total of $55.6 million.[5] The film grossed $114.993 million worldwide and made a profit of $20.5 million.[3]

Critical response

The film received negative reviews.[6] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 33% based on 15 reviews.[7] On Metacritic the film has a score of 39 out of 100 based on reviews from 8 critics, indicating "Generally unfavorable reviews".[8]

Variety wrote: "Follow-up features much of the original’s cast but none of its key behind-the-scenes creative talent, save producer Paul Maslansky. Only actor to get any mileage out of this one is series newcomer Art Metrano, as an ambitious lieutenant bent upon taking over the department." Variety had little praise for the film, except "Metrano somehow manages to shine in these murkiest of circumstances, and Michael Winslow has a couple of good moments".[9] Film critic Leonard Maltin gave the movie a BOMB rating (the first of 5 for the series), saying, "There are Dragnet episodes that are funnier than this movie."

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References
  1. "'Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment". The Wrap Powergrid. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  2. Thomas, Bob (11 January 1985). "IF YOU ENJOYED 'POLICE ACADEMY,' GET READY FOR ANOTHER". Chicago Tribune. p. E.
  3. Block, Alex Ben; Wilson, Lucy Autrey, eds. (2010). George Lucas's Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success. HarperCollins. p. 631. ISBN 9780061778896.
  4. Greenberg, James (April 2, 1985). "'Police Academy 2' Scores Best Opening Figures Nationally in 1985". Daily Variety. p. 6.
  5. Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment at Box Office Mojo
  6. Thomas, Kevin (1985-04-01). "MOVIE REVIEW NO PLEA BARGAINING: AN F-GRADE FOR `POLICE 2'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
  7. "Police Academy 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  8. "Police Academy 2". Metacritic. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  9. Variety Staff (1 January 1985). "Police Academy 2 – Their First Assignment". Variety.
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