Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Review: Eddie Murphy Tries To Elevate Weak Material In This Nostalgia-Heavy Sequel

Eddie Murphy was only 23 when "Beverly Hills Cop" arrived in theaters in 1984, and the action comedy helped make him a superstar. Murphy's raw talent was already apparent thanks to his work on "Saturday Night Live," a show he joined when he as 19. His feature debut in Walter Hill's 1982 flick "48 Hrs." took him even further, as did his follow-up movie, 1983's "Trading Places" (his third movie, 1984's "Best Defense," is a bit more obscure). But "Beverly Hills Cop," directed by Martin Brest, helped solidify that Murphy was the real deal; a bonafide movie star. It was a mega-hit, and almost immediately made trash-talking Detroit cop Axel Foley an iconic character. Murphy was so cool, so confident, so suave that he took the character to extreme heights, taking a high concept pitch — what if a tough city cop ended up in posh Beverly Hills? — and creating movie magic in the process. Like Eddie Murphy, Axel Foley was young, hip, and in-demand. Which meant sequels were inevitable. 

Foley returned to Beverly Hills for the 1987 sequel "Beverly Hills Cop II," helmed by supreme stylish Tony Scott. This sequel was more violent than the first film, and it wasn't nearly as good or funny, but there we a certain charm in seeing Foley back in the 90210 area code again. However, the third time was not the charm when "Beverly Hills Cop III" arrived in 1994. Directed by John Landis, "Beverly Hills Cop III" is considered the nadir of the franchise; a joyless follow-up where Murphy seems genuinely tired and looking for the nearest exit.

In the years since "III," there have been several attempts to get Axel Foley, and Murphy, back in action. There was even a CBS pilot about Axel's son, complete with a cameo from Murphy. But while the "Beverly Hills Cop" TV show never went anywhere, Axel Foley gets to ride again in the new Netflix movie "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F." The good news: It's not as bad as "Beverly Hills Cop III." The bad news: that doesn't mean it's very good, either. 

In 2019, Eddie Murphy teamed up with Netflix for "Dolemite is My Name." The results were wonderful. Murphy has had a string of not-so-great entries here in the later part of his career, but "Dolemite" was a reminder that he can still kill it with the right material. Sadly, "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" doesn't seem to be the right material. To be fair, Murphy's work here is solid, and there are occasional hints of something better, particularly in the moments where Murphy appears to be really letting loose and embracing his return as Axel Foley. But for the most part, the actor seems like he's struggling to elevate a weak movie. It doesn't help that the script, credited to Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten, is oddly light on humor. Instead, "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" is an action comedy that seems more interested in action than comedy. There are several big action set pieces here, including an opening chase with a snowplow and a big moment involving a helicopter midway through the movie. Director Mark Molloy handles these action beats fine, but none of them are particularly show-stoppers. They simply keep things moving along.

After an opening that shows Axel is still on the job and something of a celebrity in Detroit (it seems like everyone knows who he is), we get to the bones of the story. Axel's estranged daughter Jane (Taylour Paige) is a criminal defense attorney in Beverly Hills, and her latest case has gotten her in hot water. After being tipped-off by Axel's old buddy Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), a former cop now turned private eye, Jane takes on the case of an accused cop killer. Through some digging, Jane has come to believe her client is being set up by some dirty cops — and that's put her life in danger. On top of that, Billy has suddenly gone missing. All of this inspires Axel to head back to Beverly Hills yet again. 

"Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" is big on nostalgia. Nearly every moment is designed to remind of you things you saw in the previous movies. When Axel arrives in Beverly Hills, he's bemused at how wacky the wealthy and surreal area is — but he's been to Beverly Hills multiple times already, hasn't he? Why would any of this seem surprising at this point? We're merely treated to a montage of the sights of Beverly Hills because that's what we've come to expect from a "Beverly Hills Cop" movie. 

Old faces return. In addition to Judge Reinhold's Billy, Paul Reiser reprises his role as Axel's old partner, Jeffrey Friedman, and John Ashton is also back as Taggart. Taggart was said to have retired in "Beverly Hills Cop III," but now he's the police chief, and he's not in the mood for Axel's antics. Bronson Pinchot is also back as Serge, and while Pinchot is giving it his all, the return of his character feels particularly desperate here — there's no reason for him to be back except for the fact that he was in the other movies. It's formulaic, and it's tiresome.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a welcomed new addition to the series as Bobby Abbott, a Beverly Hills cop who teams up with Axel. Murphy and Gordon-Levitt have surprisingly good comic chemistry together, and the big helicopter chase sequence, where Bobby has to fly a chopper, is one of the movie's highlights because of how Murphy and Gordon-Levitt play off each other and the chaos of the moment. As Foley's daughter Jane, Paige, who was excellent in the A24 film "Zola," is good — but sadly underused. There are a few moments here and there that show that Jane has the same gift for bulls***ing her way through predicaments as her father, and the film would've been better served if there had been more of that. In truth, while Gordon-Levitt is one of the film's bright spots, a stronger movie would cut his character entirely and instead have Axel teaming up solely with his daughter. 

Ultimately, "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" is ... fine? I guess? I wish I could tell you this was either a laugh-out-loud hilarious romp or an utter failure, because then my job would be easier. Instead, this is a more frustrating type of film: it's middling. It's neither really good nor really bad, it just kind of exists, going through the motions and trying to get by on Murphy's considerable charm. Most of the time, this very much looks like a Netflix movie, and I mean that in a derogatory sense. Every now and then, an original Netflix film, usually handled by a master filmmaker, will deliver the goods (you know, like "The Irishman"). But that seems to be the exception, not the rule. The majority of the time, Netflix movies are visually bland and drab; they look like what they are: TV movies. "Beverly Hills Cop II" may not be anyone's idea of a masterpiece, but you have to admit it looked great. No one will say the same thing about "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F."

I suppose your mileage will vary. If you're simply looking to see Murphy slip back into a familiar role and have a little fun, "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" might do the trick. Even though this film is lackluster, it's still fun to watch Eddie Murphy do his thing, and there are moments here where he genuinely seems to be having a good time, and that can be contagious. So maybe that's enough to satisfy. Or, when you sit down and fire up Netflix to watch this film, you can make a wiser choice and just watch "Dolemite is My Name" instead. It'll be a much better use of your time, I promise. 

/Film Rating: 5 out of 10

"Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" is streaming on Netflix on July 3, 2024.