'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F' Review
Cue the music! It’s awesome that some classic tunes and a wild chase sequence kick-off “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” — Eddie Murphy’s highly successful return to one of the roles that made him an ’80s superstar. It’s been 40 years since the original installment (which I recently watched for the first time and really enjoyed) and 30 years since the largely panned “Beverly Hills Cop III”. This fourth chapter sees Axel Foley back in California to partner-up with his lawyer daughter Jane (played by Taylour Paige), whose involvement in a cop killer case gets more and more complicated… and dangerous.
Some of Murphy and Paige’s scenes together are a little dry, and Kevin Bacon’s presence as a shady police captain doesn’t add much. But you soon realize that while there was definitely some care put into the story of “Axel F” (including nice parallels to the original), it also takes a backseat to the experience of watching Murphy back in his prime. He is completely game — the energy, enthusiasm, attitude and dialogue deliveries of sharp, sarcastic one-liners. If you focus-in on Murphy, you’re going to have a very good time.
Director Mark Molloy presents some hilariously extravagant action sequences and also allows the comedy to shine. Several scenes, including one at a mansion, would’ve fallen apart in the wrong hands. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does fine work as a detective, and he has a lot of fun with Murphy & Co. Fans of the franchise will love seeing Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser and Bronson Pinchot once again.
I wish “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” was released in theaters nationwide. It would’ve made a ton of money. But for Netflix, it’s destined to be one of the streamer’s major hits of 2024. And I can picture this being in Critics Choice and Golden Globes Best Comedy contention come awards season… unless a bunch of ‘dramedies’ stir things up.
