Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F - Review

Cue Harold Faltermeyer’s iconic theme as Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills!

Eddie Murphy returns to the role as Axel Foley, our beloved detective from Detroit, as he aims to protect his estranged daughter and find an old friend as he mixes it up with dirty cops and the drug cartel.

I’ll come right out of the gates… Boy does it feel great to see Axel Foley back in his Detroit Lions jacket!

This sequel improves on the 1994 sequel. While the film takes advantage of the time difference from the first three films, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F feels right at home as a sequel in this franchise. Axel F does a good job at connecting the past films with current day, led by returning cast members from the past films and blending well with a few younger actors.

Where the film hits the mark…

Being a big fan of the franchise, seeing Eddie Murphy back as Axel reminded me of the excitement of watching the films growing up. After all of these years, something’s never change, and guess what… sometimes that’s best. 

The Hero is a Hero

Finally, a sequel to an older franchise that doesn’t completely deconstruct our hero. Unlike Indiana Jones or Luke Skywalker, Axel Foley is still on his game! Following fellow buddy cop actioner ‘Bad Boys’, we see an organic entry to the series, keeping our character intact while providing opportunities for growth.

Axel Foley remains destructive as ever and still in fine form serving up heartburn to his police boss, who is now Jeffery played by returning Paul Reiser. Right off the bat, Axel uses the usual antics of his wise mouth and fearless demeanor to confront robbers at a Detroit Red Wings game. A chase ensues where Foley levels vehicles and trash amongst the streets of Detroit with a snowplow. 

Axel Foley’s biggest strength and weakness has always been his dedication to his friends, who are more like family, and to the shield. Picking up years from his last Beverly Hills outing, Axel continues to sleuth around and live life to the fullest as a Detective. 

Axel’s Flaw and Jane

Axel Foley is Axel Foley, not a former shell of what he once was. Eddie Murphy felt in full form returning as Foley. Forty years from the first film, we learn his personal life is at odds. Axel has an estranged relationship of five years with his daughter who now goes by Jane Saunders. Played by franchise newcomer Paige Taylour, Jane is a well-rounded character that feels is neither a carbon copy of Murphy’s Foley nor a complete disconnect. She feels like a product of Axel’s parenting, for better and worse. Despite the friction between father and daughter, there are moments when Axel and Jane rift off each other that naturally rebonds their relationship.

The Story

Living in Beverly Hills as a criminal defense attorney, Jane picks up a case at the request of Billy Rosewood… or is it Roseweed? With masked figures threatening Jane, Rosewood’s disappearance, dirty cops, and cartel drugs, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F has a fun detective story to force Axel and his daughter Jane to join forces with newcomer Detective Bobby Abbott, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Abbott knows of Foley’s past Beverly Hills antics, yet he stands toe to toe with Foley. While he plays the younger detective on the scene, he doesn’t cower in the corner nor is constantly questioning Axel’s decisions. He is a modern detective without the tropes of being a thorn for lazy tension. Plus, Abbott is quite the shot with multiple moments to shine. For added tension, he was former love interest for Axel’s daughter Jane. 

The Beverly Hills Cop films never aimed to be an overly twisted story or have villains appearing from the shadows. Unlike other films that rely on the twist or gotcha moments, Beverly Hills Cop films dangle the sleazy villain in plain sight making it difficult for an outright arrest or pinning the crime on them. Instead, the joy is watching Foley and crew find the clues and piece the puzzle together. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F continues the formula and while the plot at times feels a little muddied, is a vast improvement from the third film and gets close to the feel of the first two films.

The Cast

Of course, Murphy is back as Axel, but seeing Judge Reinhold and John Ashton back as Rosewood and Taggart was a sight for sore eyes. While the characters are in different places, it feels organic to not only the time difference between films, but to the story. Taggart is now Chief, Paul Reiser returns as Jeffrey Friedman who is now Deputy Chief. Kevin Bacon shines as questionable Captain Cade Grant, a former Academy trainee under Taggert who now leads a Police Narcotics Squad. Bronson Pinchot returns as the goofy Serge for a funny scene that gives the film a dash of zany laughs. Taylour and Gordon-Levitt also shine in their roles.

Murphy is Foley and the Laughs

Eddie Murphy feels at home as Axel Foley. Paired with the R-rating, Axel F packs the punch without bounds, though it never goes too far. With moments that give him his Johnny Wishbone like moments, ad libbing his street social engineering, Murphy shines. There are many laughs that feel right at home in this franchise. Even a few of the other characters have their moments, but Eddie Murphy shines and the humor feels on brand. 

One joke that had me rolling was in the truck with Foley, Abbott, and Rosewood. Seatbelts… when you hear it you will laugh!

That Lorne Balfe Score…

The summer of Balfe continues! First with ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ and now with another great buddy cop franchise. Just like Bad Boys, Balfe expertly captured the tone of this film. Balfe took inspiration from Harold Faltermeyers fun electro scores by incorporating past themes, not just the Axel F theme. What excited me most was the use of the “Bad Guys” theme. To echo the great Christopher Walken… More cowbell! IYKYK in regards to BHC2. Even without the heavy cowbell, the many themes blended with Balfe’s new motifs hit the sweet spot and blend film to sound well. 

Add in some classic songs like Glenn Frey’s “The Heat is On” and my personal favorite “Shakedown” by Bob Seger, it provided enough homage that brought me back to years past of the earlier films.

Perhaps I am feeding off the excitement of a new Beverly Hills Cop film, but I am vibing… stop I am too old for that term haha… enjoying the song ‘HERE WE GO’ by Lil Nas X that infuses the Axel F motif into the song. It also appears in the film that feels placed with expertise. 

Overall, I appreciated Balfe’s creative spin on the themes that helped the film progressively age while calling back to the roots and essence that is the Beverly Hills Cop sound. 

Also Lorne, if you are reading this… the choral additions are chef’s kiss!

Filmmaking and Realness

This is Mark Molloy’s feature film directorial debut, which he pulls off quite well. He didn’t reinvent the wheel here, but gives a worthy effort that has no problem sitting next to director’s Martin Brest and Tony Scott’s outing in the franchise. The film has a good color tone and cinematography doesn’t feel like Beverly Hill Cop 3’s “made for TV” feel. 

The set pieces were bombastic and alive! Every film has some level of CGI, greenscreen, and VFX which is the nature of filmmaking these days. However, unexpected were how real the chase scenes and especially the helicopter sequence felt. Helps Netflix threw Maxwell Dent’s insurance money from Adriano’s and racetrack to fund the film, the stops were pulled out to make the best possible film. This leads me to Netflix… oh Netflix…

If you have read previous articles here, you may know my frustration for feature films released on Netflix. Read more about Chris Hemsworth’s ‘Extraction 2’ film on Netflix here for another Netflix dose.

While I am thankful Netflix helped produce and finally released a long awaited BHC sequel, again we have a movie that hits the theatrical release mark. Just like Chris Hemsworth’s Extraction movies, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is perfect for the theaters! Just like Bad Boys hitting a summer blockbuster homerun, perhaps we could have had another longstanding cop franchise do the same? Unfortunately, we will never know.

Overall, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is a vast improvement over the third film from 1994. While Axel F falls short of the classic Beverly Hills Cop 1 & 2, Axel F solidifies itself as a worthy sequel with plenty of laughs, thrills, and Eddie Murphy being the lovable Axel Foley!

Rating: 7.5/10

Turn out the lights, turn up the volume, and press play on Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F this weekend!