Movie Review: ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’

Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley and Paul Reiser as Jeffrey Friedman in 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'

Premiering on Netflix July 3rd, ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ is the realization of the long-in-development new sequel for the ‘Cop’ franchise. After more false starts than a car with a banana in its tailpipe (including a failed TV pilot), Paramount sold off the rights to the movie series starring Eddie Murphy as wisecracking detective Axel Foley.

Initial Thoughts

Bria Murphy as Officer Renee Minnick and Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'

Feeling in some ways like fellow legacy sequel ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (it even starts with Murphy’s Foley still in action, still breaking rules and managing to stay on the job thanks to leverage from a friend in high places much like Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell), yet never quite rising to the heights of that box office barnstormer, ‘Axel F’ nevertheless manages to walk the nostalgia beat without relying on it so heavily as to be overused.

It’s certainly good to see Murphy back actually enjoying himself in the role (which certainly didn’t seem to be the case for a lot of 1994’s ‘Beverly Hills Cop III’), and the movie around him, though it can’t compete with Martin Brest’s 1984 original or Tony Scott’s 1987 sequel, should easily slip into third place in most fans’ lists, which is more than can be said for some legacy sequels such as the recent ‘Exorcist’ release or ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’.

Script and Direction

Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, Taylour Paige as Jane Saunders, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Detective Bobby Abbott, and Bronson Pinchot as Serge in 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'

(L to R) Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, Taylour Paige as Jane Saunders, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Detective Bobby Abbott, and Bronson Pinchot as Serge in ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.’ Courtesy of Netflix © 2024.

Written by Will Beall and Tom Gormican, the script manages to bring back many of the stalwarts of the franchise, yet also combines them with a story that acknowledges where they would be now and some modern attitudes to policing from characters including Joseph Gordon–Levitt’s Bobby Abbott. And even more welcome, it lets Murphy be funny again, giving the season performer room to improvise and feel like the Axel that fans remember. It also smartly comments on the franchise’s past, including a slightly snarky (but entirely earned) shot at the third movie, and a moment where Axel considers putting on a voice and playing a character to get what he wants, but ditches it, tired of the same old routine.

Mark Molloy is a commercial director making his feature debut here, and the style he’s chosen certainly fits with the look of the original trilogy (nodding more towards Scott’s perhaps). It doesn’t announce itself too much and he also lets Murphy breathe as the main character, while finding solid work for the whole cast.

Performances:

‘Axel F’ has a solid ensemble supporting Murphy, and both the returning veterans and new franchise faces have a good role to play.

Eddie Murphy as Detective Axel Foley

Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'

One of Murphy’s most famous characters, and the one that made him a star, Axel Foley is clearly a place that the actor feels comfortable in (even if he hasn’t always shown that). For ‘Axel F’, he’s on good form, wrangling the motor-mouthed Axel from the original two movies with the more laidback, mature version.

Here he’s faced with old friends in a story that services both him, and them, well.

Judge Reinhold as Billy Rosewood

Though Judge Reinhold’s Billy (the only other person besides Murphy to appear in all the movies) is somewhat sidelined for a chunk of the storyline, he’s also recognizably Billy –– a littler greyer, a little more wizened, but still the enthusiastic friend and handy with a gun.

John Ashton as John Taggart

Now a Chief in the Beverly Hills police force (despite, er, being mentioned as retired when John Ashton couldn’t reprise the role in the third movie, though that is addressed here in dialogue), Ashton’s Taggart is still the old grump, even more so now he can actually count as an old grump.

Neither Ashton nor Reinhold have lots to do, but they’re used as much as they were in the original films –– solid support for the leading man, with entertaining stories of their own.

Taylour Paige as Jane Saunders

Axel’s estranged daughter is now a hotshot but empathetic lawyer, and in some ways more a chip off the old block than she’d care to admit. Taylour Paige plays well off of Murphy and leans into the role of the daughter who harbors anger towards the man who hasn’t been in touch with her but warms up to the idea of having Axel back in her life. It’s a well-used plotline but doesn’t feel tired.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Detective Bobby Abbott

Gordon-Levitt, like Paige, has a fun energy in Murphy’s company, and stands as a watchable character in his own right.

Final Thoughts

Kevin Bacon as Captain Grant and Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'

There can be a real risk sticking to the playbook with a legacy sequel –– you can be seen as reheating old bits in a desperate attempt to entertain fans of the franchise while trying to attract new ones.

But the formula functions at an entertaining level with ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’, which targets what works about the franchise and finds organic ways to insert new characters and plot angles. Most importantly, it feels like a ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ movie made by people who respect the previous outings.

‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.

Showtimes & Tickets

Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Taylour Paige) and Foley team up with a… Read the Plot

What’s the Plot of ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’?

Detroit Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his estranged daughter Jane’s (Taylour Paige) life is threatened, she and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.

Who is in the Cast of ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’?

Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Detective Bobby Abbott

Kevin Bacon as Captain Cade Grant

Taylour Paige as Jane Saunders

Judge Reinhold as Lieutenant William “Billy” Rosewood

John Ashton as John Taggart

Paul Reiser as Jeffrey Friedman

Bronson Pinchot as Serge

(L to R) Judge Reinhold, Eddie Murphy and John Ashton attend the ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ World Premiere at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on June 20, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Netflix.

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