Awesome / Police Academy

• Police Academy
  • "DON'T MOVE, DIRTBAG!!!"
  • At the start of the film, a Jerkass cadet is commenting about how many black people there are. Cue a reproachful look from Hightower (play by football star Bubba Smith), which makes him change their tune.
    • Then midway through the film, Hooks runs over the foot of one of the Jerkass cadets, who abuses her with racist comments. Even Harris knows that this is a bad idea, as Hightower calmly walks over to the cadet, who had by now locked himself in the squad car, and tipped it over for his remarks.
    • Small moment for Callahan in this scene, along with Heartwarming. Unlike Harris, who is at least trying to scream at Hightower to back down, she makes no effort at all to stop the Tranquil Fury of Moses Hightower and even slightly moves out of his way. Sure, he's a much bigger specimen compared to even her, but you'd think she'd pull rank the way Harris was trying to or use the crop she's holding. Did she think the scumbag he's about to go to town on deserved it and/or did she think it was futile to try to stop Hightower? Who knows, but it shows why she's the more sensible Reasonable Authority Figure and kind of why her fraternizing with these cadets as if she was always one of them to begin with isn't so out of place.
  • Before that, Hightower (thanks to some tutoring by Mahoney) OWNS the driving course; even Harris is impressed.
    • This gets a nice Call-Back in the third film; the trainees are watching some pretty nifty driving on the same driving course, leaving us to believe it's Hightower again. Turns out it's Hooks, who Took a Level in Badass from the first film.
  • After a group of rioters traps Jones, Mahoney, George, and Lassard in Lassard's car, Jones grabs the PA system mic from Lassard and imitates gunfire, dispersing the group.
  • Cadet Leslie Barbara gets to be badass twice in the first film. The first time had him stand up for Mahoney after Mahoney had just saved him from the two cadets who had been bullying him all year. The second time has him beat the shit out of the gang that bullied him at the start of the film (though it turned out they weren't stealing anything, they're moving out due to the city-wide riot, oops.)
    • Own stuff nothing, they decided to menace a police officer (more or less) during a citywide riot. Too dumb to not get beat up, perhaps?
  • The firing range scene. Everybody is firing away with their standard-issue revolvers. Cue Tackleberry with a Hand Cannon obliterating his target. Of further note is that the normally shouty Harris is noticeably subdued during this scene and politely asks Tackleberry if he can borrow his Hand Cannon and handles it like it was hot plutonium.
• Capt. Lassard's Big Damn Heroes moment in Their First Assignment, successfully bluffing Zed with an unloaded gun. Says the man himself, "I haven't carried live ammo since '73.
• The entire climax of Back in Training.
  • Commandant Lassard beating up a mook.
• Lassard taking out the diamond thief in Assignment Miami Beach after being informed that it's not a training scenario being acted out but an actual hostage situation. There's a reason Cloud Cuckoo Lander Lassard rose to his high position in the first place.
  • While we're on the subject, the fifth film also has Hightower saving Capt. Harris from an alligator. This also leads to him being promoted to Lieutenant at the end of the film.
• Tackleberry showing up a mook with his marksmanship skill. The mook uses his submachine gun to create a Smiley face on a wall; Tackleberry uses his own to spell out "HAVE A NICE DAY" underneath it.
• The final scene of the sixth film: Harris finds himself the victim of a doozy of a prank - sitting on a chair and hanging on for dear life as it floats over the city, thanks to the dozens upon dozens of helium balloons tied to it. Turns out it was none other than Commandant Lassard himself who set Harris up, payback for being ridiculed by the captain over the course of several movies.
• In the fourth film, thieves get the drop on Tackleberry during a robbery. Cue the elderly Mrs. Feldman crashing through the window on Tackleberry's bike to turn the tables.
• The various chase scenes that occur at the climax of each movie, which get more and more over the top with each sequel.

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