Forty years after his unforgettable first case in Beverly Hills, Detroit cop Axel Foley returns to do what he does best: solve crimes and cause chaos.
In 2021, Eddie Murphy tried to turn his much-loved 1988 film Coming To America into a franchise with Coming 2 America but the end result wasn’t as good as he or the fans had hoped.
Three years later, he returns to the world of another one of his iconic franchises - Beverly Hills Cop but this time, the actor-comedian nails it!
Beverly Hills Cop, back in 1984, catapulted Eddie Murphy to stardom and all three parts of the franchise were helmed by noted directors like Martin Brest, Tony Scott and John Landis, respectively. However, for the fourth part which releases 30 years after the third film, Murphy went with a debutant director Mark Molloy and the gamble paid off.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is Eddie Murphy’s welcome return to the franchise after a mediocre last outing. With the film, Eddie Murphy proves that even at 63, he is as charming and funny as he was at 23 when the first film released.
Moreover, I believe what really works for the film is the 30-year gap between the last and the latest part. Mark Molloy gets little support from the script here which is generic but the screenplay makes sure that it takes the audiences and the fans of the franchise on a trip to nostalgia. And props to the filmmaker for making sure it is never overdone.
After watching the film, I’ve come to the realisation that all that is needed to make a successful Beverly Hills Cop film is Eddie Murphy at his charming and funny best who elevates the predictability of the narrative with his antics.
Another win for the director was the successful introduction of the three new characters (Joseph Gordon-Levit, Taylour Paige and Kevin Bacon) who blend well into the world of Beverly Hills Cop and share great chemistry with Murphy.
Having said that, the best bits of the film are when Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley interacts with either of the four returning fan-favourite characters Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), John Taggart (John Ashton), Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser) and Serge (Bronson Pinchot). What a delight!
The background score, especially the iconic “Axel F” theme song is still a banger.
Overall, Eddie Murphy tries to chase past glories in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F and succeeds despite the generic plot and the predictable narrative. The fans of the franchise are definitely in for a treat. As for the new audience, I guess it's a perfect vehicle for them to discover the legend of Eddie Murphy.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F aka Beverly Hills Cop 4 is now streaming on Netflix.