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| 5/5 Stars |
I have finally reached the end of the road. This will be my final written review and it’s a rather appropriate one. Why did I save “Beverly Hills Cop” for my last “Middle-Aged Matinee!” review? Well, when I was born on December 10, 1984, this was the movie that was at the top of the box office!
Eddie Murphy had been in a couple of hits such as 1982’s “48 Hrs.” with Nick Nolte and 1983’s “Trading Places” with Dan Aykroyd. Yet, it was “Beverly Hills Cop” that cemented his status as a superstar leading man. The movie went on to be the highest grossing film of 1984 and, at the time, the highest grossing R rated movie of all time.
Murphy plays a wise-cracking cop from Detroit named Axel Foley. One day, a former friend of his, Mikey Tandino (James Russo), comes by for a visit from Beverly Hills. Before Mikey can leave town, though, he is murdered by two men who supposedly work for Mikey’s former employer after Mikey stole money from them.
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| Eddie Murphy stars in 'Beverly Hills Cop'! |
Axel then heads out to Beverly Hills to find out who killed Mikey. This puts him at odds with the clean and by-the-books cops in Beverly Hills, particularly John Ashton’s Sergeant John Taggart and Judge Reinhold’s Detective William “Billy” Rosewood. He also has to deal with their superior, Lieutenant Andrew Bogomil (Ronny Cox).
Let’s face it, this movie just doesn’t work without Eddie Murphy. It is truly his signature role. Originally, it was a far grittier and more violent film and Sylvester Stallone was attached to star in the movie. If you want to see what that version would have been like, then simply go and watch “Cobra” as that film borrowed many of the elements that were supposedly in the original “Beverly Hills Cop” script.
Murphy fires on all cylinders with the comedy, the action, and the drama in the movie. Audiences mostly see Murphy as a comedian because that’s where his entertainment roots started, but he is a genuinely good actor. You cheer for Axel not just for the fact that he’s a fast talking and intelligent police officer, but also because you want to see him bring his friend’s murderers to justice.
Thankfully, he also has a wonderful supporting cast as well. Reinhold is great as Rosewood, a guy who sort of becomes the Robin to Axel’s Batman. He’s innocent and hasn’t seen a lot of action, but when time comes, he’s up to the task.
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| Axel must contend with BHPD detectives Billy Rosewood and John Taggart. |
Ashton, who sadly passed away earlier this year, is also great as Taggart. While we don’t get much of a backstory, he’s definitely a more seasoned cop and it almost feels like he may have been a cop in a rougher city at one point but now he has to deal with the strict rules of the BHPD.
Of course, every good guy needs a good bad guy. Steven Berkoff proves to be a great antagonist as the evil businessman and drug dealer, Mr. Victor Maitland. Axel’s initial attempts to get at him are often foiled due to Maitland’s connections to the city as he is viewed as a respectable businessman.
Normally, Berkoff can be a little over-the-top such as when he played the evil General Orlov in the James Bond film, “Octopussy”. Thankfully, he is more restrained in this movie and plays Maitland a little more straight but he never lets you forget that he is the true villain of this piece.
Finally, I can’t wrap this up without mentioning the movie’s film score. Composer Harold Faltermeyer brings us a classic ‘80s score filled with synthesizers and keyboards that completely slap. This is especially true of the now iconic “Axel F” theme song that is just as tied to the movie as it is to Murphy himself. Sometimes, while writing reviews, I’ve thrown on certain movie themes and “Axel F” is a repeat offender as it gets me into the zone when I’m ready to write something.
“Beverly Hills Cop” may be a film of its time, but yet it still somehow works today. The jokes hit, the action hits even harder, and it is understandable why this is the movie that truly propelled Murphy into superstardom. Axel Foley will always remain his key signature role and the movie is destined to remain a classic forever!
And with that, I’m finished writing film reviews. However, that doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere. Soon, I plan on starting a YouTube channel where I’ll at least review the new movies that I see. I’m thinking, at the time of this writing, on beginning the new channel and review show in January 2025.
I hope that any of you who have been reading these reviews will join me and, always and forever, I’ll see you at the movies!
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