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Nostalgia is a powerful thing and recently there’s been a lot of it to which I have been feverishly soaking it all up like a cat needing a drink of water on a hot, summer day. First, we had Mike and Marcus kicking in doors and insulting each other and everyone else around them in Bad Boys: Ride or Die last month and now we see the return of another old friend who has been missing in action since 1987. Yes, I know he came back in 1994 but we won’t go there as he has finally given fans, old and new alike, something to cheer for as Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley is once again doing Axel Foley things in the latest chapter of the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. Efficiently titled Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Murphy hasn’t lost a step as he showcases why this character is so beloved and while it isn’t perfect, it’s exactly what I needed right now in my life.
Director Mark Molloy, who is directing his first big feature, took on this assignment that could have blown up in his face, but he nails it more times than not as the movie ramps up with the late, great Glenn Fry’s The Heat is On as Foley navigates the streets of his beloved Detroit. The homages in this movie hit you like a shovel to the head but that’s OK as Molloy says hold my beer and does something that John Landis failed to do in 94. Deliver a sequel that was worth something. Not only is there a new and worthy Beverly Hills Cop movie out but it kicks a lot of ass and it had me laughing several times as Murphy’s antics are just what the doctor ordered. Molloy embraces the franchises R rating by letting his star let loose with the F bombs and politically incorrect humor and in these days, it’s refreshing as hell. It’s just a shame that this one didn’t play on a big screen. It’s almost an insult as it would have probably done just fine like Smith and Lawrence did a few weeks back.
The biggest thing that Molloy does right is that he totally dismisses the third film and Axel F is a true sequel to the late, great Tony Scott’s second entry with the vibe and tone nailing the first two films and even though Murphy is older, he’s still got that swagger and attitude to spare as the more things change, the more they stay the same. Think of this as Murphy’s Top Gun Maverick because just like Tom Cruise’s Maverick, the years and miles have been rough, but he hasn’t changed, and he is just as unabashed and carefree in how he handles situations and superiors. It does bode well for him that the current police chief in Detroit is his longtime good friend Jefrey played by the always welcome Paul Reiser. Jeffry is to Foley like Iceman was to Maverick in that he protects his friend and even lets him do what he needs to do.
The biggest difference here is that Foley is a father, and his daughter Jane (Taylour Paige) is a blossoming defense attorney in, you guessed it, Beverly Hills. Unfortunately, Foley hasn’t been the greatest of fathers to jane and she resents him for it as they are estranged. That doesn’t change the fact that when she gets into trouble defending a supposed cop killer, she thinks is innocent, Foley drops everything to fly off to California and protect what is his. It also turns out that Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), who is now a P.I. after leaving the force, has gone missing while working on the same case which does involve crooked law enforcement officers.
John Ashton’s Taggart is back as he was missing heavily from the maligned third film and now, he’s out of retirement and is has since taken over the Ronny Cox role from the first two movies and is now chief of police in Beverly Hills. Just like Cox’s Bogomil, Taggart is forced to run shade with the city’s higher ups for Foley as his longtime friend is constantly getting into trouble and this time Foley has teamed up with a younger Beverly Hills police officer named Billy, played by the always game Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Did I mention that Billy and Jane used to date? Yeah, there’s also that which leads to a lot of awkward moments for the three. It also helps that Murphy shares great onscreen chemistry with both younger actors which makes the meat of the movie enjoyable.
The plot for Axel F is probably the weakest selling point as it offers nothing new to the proceedings with the whole crooked cops running drugs motif and the awesome Kevin Bacon is somewhat underused as a bigshot cop named Cade Grant who is clearly the film’s antagonist from the word go. Bacon should have had more screentime to establish his character’s ultimate vileness, but he does a great job chewing up the scenery with what he is given, and he gets some nifty exchanges with Murphy throughout the course of the film.
The rest of the villains, i.e. Grant’s equally criminal underlings, are faceless cardboard cutouts that are just there to eventually get capped when the bullets start flying. There’s also Sicario level cartel members that are stereotypes of themselves that show up to add more beef to the action set pieces. At the end of the day, Bacon’s Grant and all the other bad guys are just there to be gunned down when the time calls for it. Now keep in mind that this gripe I serve up did not deter me from my enjoyment of the movie as it is Murphy we all came here to see, and he sells it from minute one. Come to think of it, every main villain has been secondary to Murphy and his attitude so why change it now.
This is Murphy’s gig as well it should be, but Ashton and Reinhold do get more to do although the latter is more of an extended cameo as he is seen in the beginning but doesn’t turn up until the last half an hour. Taggert gets more to do but he is usually behind a desk yelling at Foley. The middle part of the movie has Foley teaming up with Jane and eventually Billy to investigate the case which, while it works, I still would have loved to see the original Trinity have more screen time together. We get a little of that in the last act but it’s a massive misfire for the film because older fans, like me, came to see the three of them together again. Oh, and there’s no visit to a strip club which is a shame but that’s the world we live in now.
What would a Beverly Hills Cop movie be without Bronson Pinchot’s Serge. Just like Foley, Serge returns to give us a nice, warm hug as he continues to butcher the English language with knee slapping results. Pinchot is only involved in one situation here just like always, but he delivers just like every time else in the past. Lemon Twist!
Like I said, this is Murphy’s show, and he doesn’t disappoint as he arrives on scene and proceeds to work his BS to another level to get the job done. One running joke I loved is that Foley’s scams, unlike the previous films, don’t really work this time around on the new generation of Beverly Hills which forces him to rely on Jane, Billy and just telling the plain old good-natured truth. After decades of starring in movies that didn’t serve his humor at all, Murphy is back in the Fastlane, and this is where he belongs. There are ample moments of laugh out loud banter as Foley just doesn’t care who he pisses off to get the job done and it’s like an old friend has returned to brighten our day. With all the movie’s mistakes, Murphy firmly places the flick squarely on his shoulders and carries it over the finish line with humorous results.
This is a Beverly Hills Cop movie and that means it’s an action-comedy and Murphy essentially created the action-comedy subgenre back in the day with 48 Hours and the original film of this franchise. After all, there wouldn’t be the action-comedy like Lethal Weapon, Tango & Cash or the countless others that have come sense without Murphy so kids you can thank him for it. The action set pieces are well done, elaborate and beautifully R rated with moments of violence as well as ferocious shootouts including a satisfying finale in a mansion where Molloy again pays homage to the original movie. You’ll get the references if you’re a fan. We get a rousing sequence at the beginning which sees Foley commander a snowplow with the usual destructive results and various moments like that peppered throughout including a chaotic and rapid city street shootout. We get a plethora of muzzle fire, dispensed shell casings and faceless goons getting mowed down with flair. Bacon’s demise, while simple and effective, is still another great moment in the movie.
I’ve talked about the respect that Molloy shows to the other films and that is apparent with the use of original songs like the aforementioned The Heat is On as well as other memorable little throwback ditties like Bob Segar’s Shakedown and Neutron Dance from The Pointer Sisters. There’s also little nudges like the synth score vibes that original composer Harold Faltermeyer used, and Foley’s theme is displayed prominently throughout. New entry composer Lorner Balfe does a masterful job of melding in the new stuff with the tried and true for pat on the back worthy results that will make true fans smile upon viewing. He is still able to do his own thing while incorporating the music we have grown to love.
Overall, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is the sequel we should have got way back in 1994. It’s a shame that the third film prolonged a decent entry like this one for thirty years. Think of how many more BHC films we could have had in that stretch of time if the wheels didn’t fall off the last one. Eddie Murphy is back doing Axel Foley things with all the swagger, attitude and non P.I. humor we all know and love. I already stated that it’s a shame this is the world we live in because normally Axel Foly would be seen on your local cinema screen but alas it’s relegated to streaming and it deserved a better fate than that. the old cast melts perfectly with the new additions and except for the nitpick of not seeing more of the original three stars together longer, this sequel hits the mark way more than not.
First time director Mark Molly shows respect to OG directors Martin Brest and Tony Scott and infuses just the right amount of nostalgia to make it work. There’s plenty of that fans want here, and Murphy better do more of these before he hangs it up because he was born to play this role, enough family flicks. It’s time to show a new generation what you can do and drop those F bombs!
VERDICT: 4 out of 5 Stars
Axel Foley is back and along with it Eddie Murphy in the role he was born to play. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F delivers the swagger, humor and action along with the F Bombs!
