Bullet Points: Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
There had been talk for years of the Beverly Hills Cop franchise continuing, either as a TV series or with another film. It’s fitting that Netflix finally made that talk a reality in the same year that the franchise will celebrate its 40th Anniversary with the release of the fourth film in the series, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.
- Back in Detroit: Going into Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, I knew that the movie would bring back all the key cast members from the original films, but there was another element that I was hoping would return… the music. I was immediately put at ease when the movie opens with our hero Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) on his way to the Little Caesars Arena for some Detroit Red Wings action and jamming to the Glenn Frey classic, “The Heat is On”. Axel meets his partner, Mike Woody, at the game… but it doesn’t take long that Axel isn’t necessarily the biggest hockey fan and instead he got a tip that some bad guys were going to rob the arena. That tip proved to be correct, which give us a big action open with Axel and Woody chasing down the thieves, who escape the Arena via all-terrain vehicles with Axel commandeering a snow plow to give chase! Cue the “Shakedown” by Bob Segar and the destruction of property!
- California Love: After the snow plow incident, Axel’s boss, Deputy Chief Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser reprising his role from the first two films) turns in his papers. Before Axel can face the music for his actions, he’s off to Beverly Hills in response to a call from his old buddy, Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold reprising his role from the previous films) concerning Axel’s estranged daughter, Jane. Jane (Taylour Paige) is a criminal defense lawyer, who has taken the case of an accused cop killer… which puts her in a dangerous place. How dangerous?! Some masked guys with a tow truck send her an emphatic message in a parking garage in hopes of scaring her off and dropping the case.
- Unhappy Reunion: When Axel arrives in California, Billy is not there to pick him up at the airport, so he rents a wreck and heads over to Billy’s private detective office. But when he arrives there’s some guys tossing the place… but what are they looking for?! Axel does what Axel does best, until it doesn’t work and that’s when we get our second chase scene of the film and some “Neutron Dance” by The Pointer Sisters! This chase ends with Axel being arrested. It is here we meet a new character, Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Premium Rush)… who is shocked to find out that Axel is the father of his ex-girlfriend, Jane! While Jane wants nothing to do with her father and his in no way happy to see him, the same can’t be said for Chief John Taggart (John Ashton reprising his role from the first two films). Taggart introduces Axel to Captain Cade Grant (Kevin Bacon) and it doesn’t take long to realize that Grant is probably the villain in the movie… something Axel and Jane will confirm as Jane reluctantly works alongside her father.
- And Then There Were Three: The father/daughter investigation nearly gets them killed and it probably would have, if not for the quick thinking and quick shooting of Bobby Abbott… who ends up in hot water for gunning down two cartel assassins in downtown Beverly Hills and joins up with Axel and Jane as the action and danger ramp up in the third act of the film!
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F was a great mix of old and new. The nostalgia was there for longtime fans with the returning characters and the classic tunes. Eddie Murphy doesn’t just reprise the character that made him an A-List superstar, we get to see a new facet of Axel Foley as he interacts with a daughter who harbors a lot of ill will towards him. The action delivers throughout the film. And the Jane and Bobby characters were excellent additions to the cast giving the franchise some new blood and the potential for a fifth film. Last but not least, Kevin Bacon as the villain was some quality casting, kind of fitting that like Eddie Murphy, Bacon had his big breakout hit 40 years ago too.
If you have Netflix, I’d suggest checking out Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F this weekend or go visit someone who does have Netflix and watch it with them… you won’t regret it. I’d also suggest checking out these Bonus Bullet Points…
- Familiar Face: Another returning character was Bronson Pinchot’s Serge, we last saw Serge in 1994’s Beverly Hills Cop III.
- Name That Tune: In addition to the classic Beverly Hills Cop songs of soundtracks past, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F also features Mary J. Blige’s “Family Affair” and Kelis’ “Milkshake” and was that some Billy Ocean I heard?!?! You better believe it!
- Rookie Director: Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F was the first feature directed by Mark Molloy.
