List: Mitchell and Final Justice: A comparison

Compiled by Jeff McGinnis
(with an assist from Duane G.)

Jeff writes: In a moment near the end of episode 512- Mitchell, Crow wonders, "I wonder why 'Mitchell 2' never came out." Well, nine years after Mitchell, a little movie named "Final Justice" (episode 1008) was released. Though it had a different title, director, writer, etc., this movie had so many similarities to Mitchell that it's difficult not not wonder if "Mitchell 2" did indeed see the light of day. Just to show that nothing can be too obsessive-compulsive, here is a list of similarities between "Mitchell" and "Final Justice."

• The two movies movies have been featured on television's Mystery Science Theater 3000. Duh.
• Both movies star Joe Don Baker (JDB).
• They are both cop movies, and as such, the cliches go flying in both movies. For instance:
• JDB, in both films, plays a "cop on the edge who doesn't play by the rules."
• The JDB character is always referred to by his last name (actually, we are never told if Mitchell is his first or last name--this is a cop movie, however, so I think it's safe to assume that it's his last.).
• Mitchell is an undercover cop (apparantly). Geronimo (the hero of FJ ), is a sherrif. As such, neither ever wear a standard police uniform, and both characters demonstrate lacking fashion taste.
• There is at least one scene in both movies in which JDB's superior pulls him off the case. However, JDB blatenly ignores his supervisiors in both cases, and continues on.
• Threat to Mitchell: "You don't know who you're messing with." Threat to Geronimo: "Do you know who you're messing with?"
• Both movies feature a car chase. Said chases end with the JDB car being shoved off the side of the road.
• Both movies show their titles over a nauseating closeup of JDB's anatomy (his face in Mitchell, his legs in FJ).
• The first shot of Geronimo is of him napping at his desk. The first shot of Mitchell (once the story begins) is of him napping in a police car.
• The plots of both movies start up when the Bad Guy (John Saxon in Mitchell, Palmero in FJ) shoots and kills an unarmed man for no good reason.
• Both films end with a shootout on a boat, as well as a lame pithy remark from JDB.
• In the films' shootouts, the Bad Guy hides as JDB takes on their lackleys. Once JDB takes care of said lackly, the Bad Guy comes out, only to be shot by JDB.
• Oh... And both times, JDB gets the draw on the Bad Guy essentially by cheating.
• The Bad Guys in both movies have a boss who make a brief appearance in their respecive films. Predictably (because they're both Mafia bosses), they both speak with a thick, Itallian accent.
• There is a scene in each movie in which beer is poured onto someone's shoe, and one in which JDB eats while discussing other matters.
• There are also scenes in the two movies in which JDB is "invited" to the Bad Guy's house.
• There is a scene set on some sort of aircraft in both movies.
• Both movies feature an important female character working in a sex-related industry.
• When they do their things, said ladies have to do it while a completely inappropriate song blairs on the soundtrack. This song is repeated over the end credits.
• The above ladies end up with rather nasty fates: The stripper in FJ ends up with her throat slit; Mitchell's Gretta has to, you know, with the beer and baby oil.
• Both films have well-remembered editing mistakes: Mitchell's self-repairing headlight, and FJ's repeated shot.
• Both movies feature Joe Don Baker peeling an orange! In Mitchell, he peeled one at Martin Balsam's big dinner. In Final Justice, he threatens a bartender by, you guessed it, peeling an orange!
• Last, but certainly not least: FJ has one bizzarre (the Napoleon-like kid Geronimo saves) and another superfluous scene (the brief stay with that family, where he teaches slingshoting) involving a child. Mitchell has a really bizzarre and superfluous scene involving a child (and if you don't know what I'm talking about, you haven't seen this movie).

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