In Beverly Hills Cop, Axel Foley is a smart-talking plain clothes detective working in the city of Detroit. Axel is good at his job and gets results, but he uses unconventional methods, and regularly butts heads with his superior officer, Inspector Todd.
One night, after a shift at work, Axel returns home to find his childhood friend, Mikey has broken into his apartment. Mikey recently got out of prison, and after landing a security job in Beverly Hills he travelled to Detroit to pay Axel a visit.
After spending the night in a bar catching up, Axel and Mikey head back to Axel’s apartment where they are jumped by two goons. Axel is knocked out, but Mikey is murdered.
When Axel wakes up and discovers what has happened to Mikey, he pleads with Inspector Todd to assign him to the case. When Todd refuses, Axel takes a vacation from work and travels to Beverly Hills to conduct his own investigation into Mikey’s death.
Directed by Martin Brest, Beverly Hills Cop stars Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Lisa Eilbacher, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot, and Steven Berkoff. The film is an action comedy, and the first entry in the Beverly Hills Cop movie series.
Beverly Hills Cop is also a highly enjoyable picture, and one which is filled to the brim with highlights. The film boasts a great central performance from lead star Eddie Murphy, has a sizzling soundtrack with one heck of an instrumental title tune (‘Axel F’), and features an even balance of action and humour.
Sure, it’s ‘80s through-and-through, from the staging of the action sequences right down to the hairstyles and fashion, but it is easily one of the best buddy cop movies of its era. Beverly Hills Cop is slick, witty, and fun.
From a humorous encounter in an art gallery, with an art dealer named Serge, to a gag involving three bananas and an exhaust pipe, Beverly Hills Cop is loaded with memorable moments. The movie zips along at a sprightly pace, with a decent detective narrative and plenty of witty lines to boot!
However, it’s the cast who excel in this picture. Starting with Murphy, and continuing with supporting players Judge Reinhold and John Ashton, the casting is spot on.
Murphy is known for his comedic skills and in Beverly Hills Cop he gets to put them to great use. Not only does Murphy deliver some zingers, and do so in a playful way, but he has a natural screen presence which instantly makes Axel Foley a likeable character.
Watching this movie it’s no wonder it spawned a series of sequels. These sequels didn’t come about because Beverly Hills Cop boasts an exceptional story, but because Murphy is a great lead.
Teaming him up with Reinhold and Ashton, who play Beverly Hills officers Billy Rosewood and John Taggart respectively, is also part of the film’s winning formula. As with Murphy, Reinhold and Ashton are complete naturals in this picture and add to the film’s charm, as do Ronny Cox, Lisa Eilbacher, et al.
While Beverly Hills Cop doesn’t necessarily do anything amazing with its story, and when boiled down it is a simple action comedy, the film get’s everything right. It delivers pure entertainment, doesn’t run out of steam, and leaves things on a high with a great shoot-out followed by a satisfying wrap-up.
They say they don’t make movies like this anymore, but this isn’t quite true. They do make movies like this, the problem is they simply aren’t as good.
Should you wish to check out Beverly Hills Cop, the movie is currently available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K as part of a Beverly Hills Cop collection. Beverly Hills Cop can also be purchased individually on digital platforms, and is currently streaming on Netflix.
__
__
Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
It's A Stampede! 
Leave a comment