Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot, Kevin Bacon and Bria Murphy
Director: Mark Molloy
Scriptwriters: Will Beali, Tom Gormican and Kevin Elten based on characters by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrio, Jr.
Composer: Lorne Balfe
Cinematography: Edu Grau
Eddie Murphy Productions/Netflix
Rating: R
Running Length: 119 Minutes
Here comes the fourth in the “Beverly Hills Cop” series, and this isn’t the only one opening this summer, there is “Despicable Me 4” with minions, also number four in their series. Where “Despicable” is animated, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” is live action and brings back fond memories of the first three “Beverly Hills” films, plus Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte in the “48 Hours” films. The latter is a household favorite for the after-midnight movie watching crowd. Actors who came after Eddie Murphy and made their mark as police officers are Kevin Hart and Martin Lawrence. Australian director Mark Molloy is famed for putting actors in the right position on film. Composer Lorne Balfe makes the most of action scenes with his music.
Eddie Murphy reprises his role as Axel Foley, detective from Detroit, and later we meet Judge Reinhold (Billy Rosewood), who repeats his role, also., Axel is still in Detroit, his don’t-like-Daddy’s daughter, Jane, is now an attorney in Los Angeles, and works with Reinhold. This begins this film and what makes it feel like home is that the “Axel” theme from the first films, is still here in present day.
We open thirty years after the last film, and Axel is still in Detroit causing problems so much that his friend, a Deputy Chief, decides to retire. Another police chase by Axel was one too many. Axel gets a call from Rosewood that his daughter, Jane (Taylour Paige) is in danger. Off Axle goes to the West Coast only to find Rosewood kidnapped. There are car chases and Axel meets Abbott a detective (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Jane’s ex-boyfriend and Grant (Kevin Bacon) who is a narcotics cop, also there is John Taggart (John Ashton) an old friend of Axel’s. Through searches and quips they discover who is the good cop and who is the bad cop and what is really going on here. There are narrow escapes, gunfire, and what is going to happen next---something exciting or a quip. One never knows in an Eddie Murphy film.
For Eddie Murphy fans, he has not lost his touch, neither has Judge Reinhold. Murphy always has a pal with him, as in the “48 Hours” films when there was Nick Nolte and his aging convertible. Did you know that when the first “Beverly Hills Cop” movies were to come out, Sylvester Stallone was to play Axel? Rambo in L.A.? Then, there was Micky Rourke, and he didn’t do the role, so it finally came to Eddie Murphy and you know the rest. “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” is another summer hit.
Three Tocks
Copyright 2024 Marie Asner