Friday, February 14, 2025

“BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F”

THE STORY – After his daughter’s life is threatened, wisecracking Detective Axel Foley teams up with a new partner and some old pals to turn up the heat on a conspiracy.

THE CAST – Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Taylour Paige, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kevin Bacon & Paul Reiser

THE TEAM Mark Molloy (Director), Will Beall, Tom Gormican & Kevin Etten (Writers)

THE RUNNING TIME – 115 Minutes


After 2019’s “Dolemite Is My Name,” many fans felt Eddie Murphy was on the brink of an all-time resurgence. His performance in that film reminded audiences of the talent and presence that cemented him as one of the all-time staples in the comedy world. Then he followed that up with a lights-out Emmy-winning return to SNL, and it truly felt like this was the beginning of something special. Unfortunately, what has followed in the five years since then hasn’t matched the high of that moment. If anything, it felt like Murphy started going backward on a trajectory similar to his post-“Dreamgirls” run in the 2000s, which somewhat stilted his career. Recently, he has been riding a trip down memory lane, taking pit stops at some of his greatest hits. After the long-awaited yet lackluster “Coming to America” sequel, Murphy intended to leave Zamunda and head back to cause some more trouble in Beverly Hills. Forty years after the last “Beverly Hills Cop” sequel (and one failed television pilot many don’t know of), Murphy, alongside filmmaker Mark Molloy, is ready to reintroduce iconic police detective Axel Foley to today’s audiences with “Beverley Hills Cop: Axel F.” What audiences do get is an unnecessary sequel that underwhelms in almost every single aspect delivering an action comedy that feels nothing more than just a cash grab.

Detective Axel Foley (played by Murphy) hasn’t changed a bit since we’ve seen him in the last four decades. Foley continues running rampant throughout the streets of Detroit, causing havoc everywhere he goes, and at the end of the day, he still is putting the bad guys away. After getting a phone call from retired police officer and dear friend Billy Rosewood (played by Judge Reinhold), Foley again heads back to The Golden State to help investigate a case involving his estranged daughter Jane Saunders (played by Taylour Paige).

“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” doesn’t stray away from the formula that, for the most part, has worked well for the previous films. Usually, the setup of each of “Beverly Hills Cop” involves Foley driven by a personal vendetta (most consistently the death of someone dear to him) that makes him end up coming all that way from Detroit to Los Angeles. Sure, it’s nice to see Foley reunite with familiar faces like Jeffery Friedman (played by Paul Reiser) or John Taggart (played by John Ashton, who was absent for the series’ third installment). Still, after that, the novelty of “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” wears thin. Within the film’s opening action sequence, you can already gauge how generic everything else that follows will likely be. Inherently, Molloy, who steps in as the director this time around, is given a bad end of the deal. Imagine having your first feature film be a sequel to one of the most essential pieces of 80’s buddy cop cinema. It’s a tough ask to ask anyone, let alone for someone’s directorial debut, and sadly, he doesn’t come close.

Sure, Murphy tries to bring some life into the film with his signature charm, but his routine doesn’t hit the same level as it did decades ago. Not that his ability to make audiences laugh has diminished in any way, but the screenplay doesn’t help him or anyone else in the cast due to it being conveniently slapped together. Personally, the original “Beverly Hills Cop” works better as an action film than as a comedy. It’s funny, but the sequel or even other buddy cop films from this period operate far better in balancing the two. “Beverly Hills Cop: Alex F” might be one of the most unfunniest films of not only this year but in recent memory. Very few moments in the film elicit even a slight smirk, and it is more so nostalgia-baited from specific references or character introductions. Even all the new additions to this film feel like a failed attempt to spice things up this fourth time around. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kevin Bacon, and even Luis Guzmán show up to varying degrees of importance, yet all equally feel like they leave no mark in the film. There’s a whole romance storyline involving Paige’s character and Gordon-Levitt’s character, Detective Bobby Abbott (who works alongside Foley to solve the case), which comes off so half-hearted it’s baffling as to why it’s even included. Also, Kevin Bacon does exactly what you think Kevin Bacon will do in a “Beverly Hills Cop” movie, which unfortunately isn’t much.

It’s fair to say that most aspects of these films were always interchangeable. Still, the one consistent and underrated aspect about the original “Beverly Hill Cop” films (at least the first two) is how gorgeous they looked for an 80’s action comedy filmmakers like Martin Brest and Tony Scott could shoot the hell out of anything, from an action set piece to a simple conversation. Fast forward to today, the so-called Netflix sheen is oh-so apparent all over “Beverly Hills: Axel F.” At least “Beverly Hills Cop 3,” a massive visual downgrade from the first two, is far more appealing than this latest installment. Each action set piece is captured terribly, awkwardly staged, and choreographed. Nothing comes close to the original film’s opening sequence or even the Ferris wheel set piece in the third film. Since the 80’s, Hollywood has lost its knack for even attempting to make a studio comedy somewhat captivating on a visual level.

When they announced that a new “Beverly Hills Cop” was officially going into production, I don’t think anyone could have been that excited about it. After the third film disappointed, it felt that everyone involved knew it was the right time to hang it up for good. Now, after “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” there’s no way that feeling still isn’t lingering. Nothing about this feels genuine or even worthwhile. It mostly comes off as a bunch of higher-ups sitting around throwing a dart on which classic comedy they could resuscitate to fit perfectly in the current IP-dominated landscape of film. Murphy recently stated that he and producer Jerry Bruckheimer are already developing another sequel. Hopefully, they at least attempt to put more effort into not only making it have better jokes and action but also making it watchable.

THE RECAP

THE GOOD - Seeing Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, and John Ashton reunite to crack some jokes and take down bad guys is delightful, even if it doesn't live up to the previous installments.

THE BAD - Incredibly unfunny. Lacks solidly crafted jokes or well-executed action sequences. First-time director Mark Molloy was thrown to the wolves in a digestible entry to the series that feels like it's nothing more than an addition to a streaming service's catalog. The gradual visual downgrade after the first two films needs to be studied.

THE OSCAR PROSPECTS - None

THE FINAL SCORE - 3/10

Subscribe to Our Newsletter!

Giovanni Lago
Giovanni Lago
Devoted believer in all things cinema and television. Awards Season obsessive and aspiring filmmaker.

Related Articles

Stay Connected

101,150FollowersFollow
101,150FollowersFollow
9,315FansLike
9,315FansLike
4,686FollowersFollow
4,686FollowersFollow

Latest Reviews

<b>THE GOOD - </b>Seeing Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, and John Ashton reunite to crack some jokes and take down bad guys is delightful, even if it doesn't live up to the previous installments.<br><br> <b>THE BAD - </b>Incredibly unfunny. Lacks solidly crafted jokes or well-executed action sequences. First-time director Mark Molloy was thrown to the wolves in a digestible entry to the series that feels like it's nothing more than an addition to a streaming service's catalog. The gradual visual downgrade after the first two films needs to be studied.<br><br> <b>THE OSCAR PROSPECTS - </b>None<br><br> <b>THE FINAL SCORE - </b>3/10<br><br>"BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F"