Beverly Hills Cop [M]

Axel Foley is a street smart, foul-mouthed Detroit cop currently skating on thin ice after engaging in undercover work without authorisation. When his best friend drops in for a visit, he is murdered and Axel makes it his mission to go to Beverly Hills and track down the bastard behind it. Immediately, his wild, off-the-cuff style meshes with the by-the-book procedures of the Beverly Hills Police Force and two agents are assigned to keep an eye on him. Dragging the two reluctant do-good cops along for the ride, Foley’s mission begins to yield more surprises than he bargained for. 

Since the hit of this movie, there have been numerous fish-out-of-water cop comedies made, but none harbour the freshness and simplicity of Beverly Hills Cop. Packed with action, rapid-fire comedic dialogue, and set against an infuriatingly infectious synthesised soundtrack, boasting the infamous Axel F theme, this movie stands the test of time rather well, with its solid story, its clever script, and a memorable performance from its leading man. 

Axel Foley is a street smart, foul-mouthed Detroit cop currently skating on thin ice after engaging in undercover work without authorisation. When his best friend drops in for a visit, he is murdered and Axel makes it his mission to go to Beverly Hills and track down the bastard behind it. Immediately, his wild, off-the-cuff style meshes with the by-the-book procedures of the Beverly Hills Police Force and two agents are assigned to keep an eye on him. Dragging the two reluctant do-good cops along for the ride, Foley’s mission begins to yield more surprises than he bargained for. 

The article in The Book opens with “what a different movie Beverly Hills Cop would have been had Sylvester Stallone, who was originally attached to the project, been the lead actor.” Watching Eddie Murphy’s rapid-fire and yet somehow articulate dialogue performance in this movie, it’s impossible to imagine anyone in the lead other than. Giving a show that was each aggressive, sentimental, sometimes sincere, and cunningly clever, Eddie was a perfect casting choice, making the movie a balanced and all-audience-engaging action/comedy rather than a bloody and brutal hot-headed action flick which it conceivably would have been had Stallone been the lead. 

As the story is a simple one of friendship and initial revenge, the movie harbours some subtle but noticeable cynical jabs at the all-style-and-no-substance lifestyle of Los Angeles. These jabs are particularly apparent in Foley’s clashes with Beverly Hills Police Force procedures and then in his compliments of their clean and polished cars and overt politeness. The chemistry clash between the two worlds, so to speak, is one that causes the audience to really gun for the hero, despite his overtly aggressive and no-shit approach to getting things done. 

Starring Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher, Ronny Cox, Steven Berkoff, Gilbert R. Hill, and James Russo, Beverly Hills Cop is a great movie filled with action, defiance, revenge, and comedy. Its simplicity and its freshness give it immunity to ever becoming stale.