Movie Review - Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Director: Mark Molloy
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Crime
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Paul Reiser, Kevin Bacon, Judge Reinhold, Taylour Paige, John Aston, Bronson Pinchot
 
Description: Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returns to Beverly Hills after his daughter’s (Taylour Paige) life is threatened, and works with old pals John Taggert (John Aston) and Billy Rosewood) (Judge Reinhold) to uncover a conspiracy.

Review: It has been thirty years since Eddie Murphy last took on the role of Axel Foley in “Beverly Hills Cop 3”(1994) (secretly my favorite 😉). Netfix is reviving the cop with “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F”.

The film opens the way you’d want it: Axel gets behind the wheel of a snow plow and immediately turns the streets of Detroit upside down, hoping to catch a bunch of thugs. It gets completely out of hand, obviously, and before you know it Axel is back in Beverly Hills to help his daughter Jane, who is being threatened. She is a lawyer and is assisting a client falsely accused of killing a cop.

Martin Brest, Tony Scott and John Landis directed the three previous installment of the franchise and debut director Mark Molloy is taking over. He has looked closely at his predecessors and manages to deliver a more than entertaining film. He takes into account the many fans of the previous films (me), but manages to attract a whole new audience as well. Axel Foley is still the foul-mouthed and rule-breaking Detroit cop turning Beverly Hills upside down. It’s not different this time. And other characters we know from these film are returning as well. All though, I was a bit disappointed there. The screentime Axel has with his buddies Billy and Taggert is very limited. And I missed Eddie Murphy’s signature laugh.

The only new element in this film is the father-daughter relationship. For the most part, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” is not an innovative film. But a fun addition to the series and an entertaining action comedy. Great that “Akwel” is back, we’ve waited long enough.

Rating: 3,5/ 5