Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

​“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” stars Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot, and Kevin Bacon.  Released on Netflix on July 3, 2024, the film has Axel Foley returning to Beverly Hills to uncover a conspiracy.

The film featured the feature directorial debut of Mark Molloy, known for directing television commercials in the early 2000s.  It is the fourth installment in the “Beverly Hills Cop” film series.  Eddie Murphy is considered one of the film industry's most charismatic and humorous comedians.  Whether he's playing a live-action character or voicing an iconic cartoon character, Murphy's smooth-talking and energetic vibes always bring joy to everyone, including me.  He's even enjoyable in some of his lower-rated movies, but that's just my personal opinion.  Before he made a big comeback in the late 2010s, Murphy saw his first career prominence through his earlier starring roles in the 1980s.  One of which is a buddy cop action comedy featuring a street-smart detective solving crimes in beautiful Beverly Hills and one of the most iconic soundtracks in cinema history.  “Beverly Hills Cop” elevated its genre trends with its mixture of R-rated violence and charismatic humor brought to life by Murphy’s memorable performance as Axel Foley.  More importantly, it shot Murphy to international stardom, resulting in him reprising his role in two other sequels, each of which was less successful than the last.  Thirty years after Foley’s third outing, the classic detective finally returns to Beverly Hills once more with a long-awaited sequel that reunites him with his old friends from another state.  Does it provide a reunion worthy of standing alongside other legacy sequels, or is it time for Foley to turn in his badge for good?  Let’s find out.

The story occurs thirty years after “Beverly Hills Cop III”.  It centers on Axel Foley (Murphy), a street-smart police lieutenant from Detroit whose bark is as dangerous as his bite.  He finds himself traveling back to Beverly Hills once again when he discovers his estranged daughter, Jane Saunders (Paige), has been threatened by a conspiracy involving a killed cop.  While attempting to mend his relationship with Jane, Axel joins forces with his new partner, Detective Bobby Abbott (Gordon-Levitt), Jane’s ex-boyfriend, to uncover the mastermind behind the conspiracy.  Axel also finds himself searching for his old ally, Billy Rosewood (Reinhold), who disappeared while investigating the case.

Even though I’m a fan of Eddie Murphy’s works, I hadn’t watched any of the “Beverly Hills Cop” movies until recently.  I know.  It’s pretty shocking.  So, a few days before watching “Axel F”, I decided to visit the buddy cop trilogy for the first time to prepare myself for the new one.  Unsurprisingly, I wound up enjoying them.  The first two “Beverly Hills Cop” installments were fun, charismatic action comedies bolstered by Murphy’s magnetic performance and entertaining action.  As for “Beverly Hills Cop III,”...well, the amusement park moments were enjoyable.  The story?  Not so much.  Regarding my experience with those movies, “Axel F” had plenty of my expectations to meet to validate its existence.  Like other legacy sequels to classic franchises, the fourth installment was tasked with regaining specific elements that made the original a cinematic classic and balancing the nostalgia factor with a tolerable plot.  Based on what I saw from “Axel F”, I thought it did enough to warrant another trip to Beverly Hills.

Admittedly, “Axel F” didn’t match the impact of the original, but I will say that it’s a solid improvement over the third film for one reason: the story.  One of the reasons “Beverly Hills Cop III” failed to connect with audiences is because its plot underutilized specific elements, including Axel’s relationship with his superior, Inspector Douglas Todd, played by the late Gil Hill.  Of course, the witless script and direction also factored in the franchise’s hiatus, but I think Axel’s connection to his former superior could’ve been rewritten to emphasize his character arc.  Fortunately, “Axel F” corrected that mistake by humanizing its protagonist through his redemption arc, mainly by fixing his relationship with Jane.  The father/daughter relationship served as the film’s heart amid Axel’s chaotic shenanigans in Beverly Hills.  While it suffered from the film’s formulaic screenplay and lengthy runtime, it’s never to the point of being mind-numbingly tedious, as it benefitted from its charm and humor.

Mark Molloy had a lot riding on this latest installment, considering that this is his feature directorial debut following his work on television commercials.  Interesting fact: Molloy was chosen to direct “Axel F” after Adil and Bilall left the project to focus on the canceled “Batgirl” movie.  Yes, I’m talking about the same Adil and Bilall who directed the recent “Bad Boys” installments, which were both expertly directed, especially with the action scenes.  While it would’ve been awesome to see the duo’s take on the “Beverly Hills Cop” franchise, I thought Molloy did pretty well with what he attempted to accomplish for the action and comedy.  Since “Beverly Hills Cop” isn’t known for its far-fetched action set pieces, it made sense that “Axel F” tried to match those expectations regarding the franchise's adult violence.  It did have a couple of scenes that came close to being over-the-top, like the helicopter chase sequence.  However, Molloy restrained those sequences to avoid being a copycat of the recent “Bad Boys” or “Fast & Furious” sequels while injecting that entertainment energy into them.  The violence was far from memorable, but it also had that old-fashioned sense of fun that elevated the first two installments.

The same should be said for its humor, relying heavily on its charismatic cast rather than its race-related jokes and nostalgia baiting.  There were a few of those jokes regarding the latter two, but they’re never to the point of being forced or even offensive.  It had a nearly consistent flow reflecting the humor of Axel being reckless amid his good-natured persona, adding to the film’s diverting allure.  Eddie Murphy's enduring charisma and deep understanding of the iconic detective make him the standout in "Axel F".  Through his portrayal of Axel Foley, Murphy showcased the character's loud and reckless yet good-hearted nature, especially in his fight to protect loved ones despite the challenges posed by his estranged relationship with Jane.  Just like he did in the first two movies, Murphy excelled in one of the roles that defined his illustrious career.  Taylour Paige and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were also pretty good in their roles as Jane and Bobby Abbott, respectively.  By the way, I didn’t recognize Gordon-Levitt from all the facial hair he was wearing until a few seconds later.  Kevin Bacon also delivered some delightful moments as Cade Grant, the police captain in the Beverly Hills police department, despite the twist involving him being a bit too on-the-nose for me.  Of course, I couldn’t forget about Judge Reinhold and John Ashton as Billy Rosewood and John Taggart.  These two actors never cease to impress me with their chemistry, especially in the third act. 

Overall, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” is a nostalgic trip back to the iconic buddy-cop franchise that’s mildly entertaining enough to warrant our stay.  Its screenplay offers plenty of familiar elements we’ve seen in previous installments and movies involving estranged parent/child relationships, and its runtime was a tad lengthy.  However, it’s also one of many films that understood the goal of being a playfully entertaining diversion without any forced agendas spoiling the fun.  More importantly, it’s another legacy sequel that understands all, if not most, of the elements that made the original iconic, even if the execution doesn’t match the impact of the blockbuster classics.  Eddie Murphy is just as charismatic as ever regarding his performance as the titular Detroit detective, and the remaining cast did pretty well in keeping up with Murphy’s alluring charm.  Mark Molloy also did well in his directorial debut regarding his approach to the film’s action and humor.  “Axel F” is a welcoming return to form for the buddy cop franchise that continues Murphy’s recent comeback in the film industry.

B-