Eddie Murphy had a pretty good run of things in Hollywood after his stint on SNL. Films like 48 Hrs, Trading Places, and Coming to America made a huge star in the 80s. Beverly Hills Cop though was the gift that kept on giving. It had two sequels, and now that Murphy’s kids are old enough, he’s stopped doing kids’ movies like Shrek and Mulan. He can get back to doing what he’s known for. Axel F is the third sequel for his action franchise Beverly Hills Cop. Jerry Bruckheimer got the whole band back together for one more crazy police adventure. 

Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is still up to his old tricks as he gets a call from an old friend, Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), now a private investigator. He tells him that his daughter Jane (Taylour Paige) is representing a man accused of killing a Beverly Hills Police Officer. She has gotten herself in over her head. So Reinhold tries to get him to come back to Beverly Hills to help him and his estranged daughter, whom he hasn’t talked to in years. He likes her and also gets in over his head as he gets involved with corrupt DEA agents and drug traffickers. 

Eddie Murphy has been in this franchise long enough that these films have become a bit of a cookie-cutter. They all have a similar vibe to them. The story beats are the same, and the shtick that he uses as Axel Foley is quite similar to all of the movies in this franchise. I guess the old adage doesn’t fix it if it’s not broken applies here. The thing is, we’re in a different time now, and audiences are looking for more in their police dramas. This latest film in the franchise is a little too 80s/90s for my liking.

The writing team has fallen back on the familiar tropes of this franchise. Specifically, the dialogue that they use in the script and story. Murphy’s stick is a little too old these days. Using the same kind of smart alic remarks and tricks that he used in the previous three films in the franchise, Sure I had a few chuckles from some of his old gags, but in general they were pretty old and I would rather have so new arterial instead of the same old lines he’s done for years now.

One of my favorite things about the franchise is the car or rather truck chases that happen. In this one, there is a chase involving a snowplow and a beat-up old Ford Bronco, and the fact that this happened in Bevety Holls does not escape me. I’m sure that was a point of emphasis in the script. The car chases and gun fights are the fun parts of this franchise. I once again enjoyed them here as well. Those are always the best parts of buddy cop films like this. 

Director Mark Molloy shows that he loves this franchise and Eddie Murphy as its star, but he also brought back a bunch of the other regulars from the previous installments including Paul Rieser as Jeffrey now the chief of police in Detroit. John Adhton is John Taggart, the chief of police in Beverly Hills, Bronson Pinchot is Serge the fashionista, and a new character Detective John Abbott played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He helps Murphy and Paige’s characters solve the case.

Another fun thing about this franchise is its soundtracks in the various films. Songs like Shakedown Braek Down, Neutron Dance, and The Heat is On are synonymous with this franchise. They add another fun element to a series of movies that already have a fun aspect to them. I find myself singing along with these catchy tunes when they pop up in this latest film in the franchise. Catchy soundtracks are always a great part of good films.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is another movie in this franchise that follows along with the familiar ideas of its predecessors.  Murphy uses his famous shtick fans have come to know by now, but it may be a little old at this point. The script is a bit run-of-the-mill, but there are some funny moments I couldn’t help but laugh at. The car chases and action scenes as well as the soundtrack are all pretty cool. I just feel like this franchise may be a little stale at this point. Audience who watch it on Netflix will be the final judge of that though.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Streams on Netflix July 3rd

3 stars

Dan Skip Allen