REVIEW: Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

Movie Reviews

The return of a long-dormant franchise is more of a threat than an enticement nowadays. Very few revivals get it right, with most either relying too much on nostalgia or turning into a meta-commentary on – which usually means an indictment of – the original movies; occasionally, you get a Disney Star Wars that does both. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is certainly one of the better ones, using just enough nostalgia to usher in Axel Foley’s return while giving him a new adventure without rehashing the first three Beverly Hills Cop films. It’s not perfect, but it’s a worthwhile vehicle to bring back a movie legend.

When his estranged daughter Jane (Taylour Paige) is threatened by a corrupt police unit, Detroit detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) once more travels to Beverly Hills to show the California cops how it’s done. But amidst old friends like Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) and new allies like Detective Bobby Abbot (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Axel must contend with a daughter who doesn’t want his help.

The best thing about Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is the title character. That should go without saying, but we’ve seen too many legacy sequels like The Last Jedi and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny that have destroyed the heroes of their franchises to take our favorites for granted. Fortunately, Eddie Murphy slips back into Axel Foley like he’s putting his letterman jacket on. It feels like he’s never stopped playing Axel, and from the second he appears on-screen (which is immediately), you’re back in the world of Beverly Hills Cop. It also helps that Murphy barely looks like he’s aged, not so much since the first Beverly Hills Cop, but certainly the third one. (There’s a great joke about this.) Murphy is as funny as ever, and he’s maintained Axel’s friendly, ingratiating demeanor. If you love the older movies, it’s heaven seeing him back in action.

But more than Eddie Murphy’s performance, the movie itself loves Axel Foley, and it knows you love him, too. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is meta in the right ways, not deconstructing Axel but presenting him as a constant, a force of nature that age, shifting social mores, and even growing familial relations will never change. Moreover, it argues that this is a good thing; the young whippersnappers don’t drag Axel into the 21^st century, but they learn some things from him that allow them to navigate it more effectively, and I love that. I also love that the film doesn’t belabor this point; it demonstrates it through the characters’ actions. They aren’t vehicles through which to examine Axel but real characters with their own agendas, personalities, and worldviews who react to Axel in ways consistent with those characterizations, and that includes the villain. (I won’t say who it is, just in case anyone doesn’t want to know, but it’s not a mystery.)

It helps that they’re all played well by good actors. Taylour Paige has the second biggest part after Eddie Murphy, and I was particularly impressed by her because Jane is a character that could easily have become unbearable. How many times have we seen the resentful daughter who wants nothing to do with her father, and she comes off as a whiny brat? But with some good writing and acting, pretty much any trope can work, and Jane almost never feels petty or unnecessarily mean, and when she does, the movie acknowledges it. Moreover, Paige does some subtle work in certain scenes where you can tell she’s doing her best to stay angry, but Axel is so funny and charming that you know she’s going to smile soon. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also good as Abbott, a “modern man” type who clashes just a bit with Axel’s old-school masculinity. But again, this isn’t expounded upon, and nobody is really chastised; they’re just different people learning to get along with each other.

As for the returning favorites, they’re great; I just wish there were more of them. Rosewood and Taggart are Beverly Hills Cop essentials (I’m convinced Taggart’s absence is why Beverly Hills Cop III disappointed so many; I know there are other reasons, but not having Taggart was the catalyst), and while they’re clearly much older, Judge Reinhold and John Ashton are lots of fun in the roles once again. But the pitfall of focusing so much on Jane and Abbott (and, again, I liked those characters) is that Axel’s true sidekicks don’t get the screen time they need. Supposedly, there are plans for Beverly Hills Cop V, and if it happens, I hope they take center stage with Axel again. On the other hand, Paul Reiser’s Jeffrey Friedman has a bigger part than he did in any of the first three, and he’s wonderful, showing a more human side to Jeffrey than he has in the past. And Bronson Pinchot is still a scene-stealer as Serge, the flamboyant Beverly Hills art dealer who can’t pronounce “Axel.” There’s also a subtle and much-appreciated nod to Inspector Todd, Axel’s old commanding officer, who was played by Gilbert R. Hill.

The action is mostly good, especially the chases, of which there are at least four. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F keeps these from getting stale by putting Axel in a different vehicle each time, one with its own drawbacks that Axel has to overcome – or try to, anyway. There are a couple of shootouts, though not as many as I would have liked, and they featured too little of Axel for my taste. But they’re filmed well by Mark Molloy, who makes his directorial debut here. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but there’s no stupid shaky cam, and the action is easy to follow. I’m also impressed by the lack of CGI; I suspect it was used in a couple of scenes, but it’s hidden well enough that if you told me it was all done with practical effects, I’d believe it. The music is also very good, with the “Axel F” theme incorporated well but not overused. (Although I’m not sure that’s possible; who would want to hear less of that song?) There are familiar songs mixed with some new ones, and they all feel right. It’s comfortable without feeling like worn old clothes, which is exactly what you want from a movie like this.

And that pretty much describes Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. It’s fun, it’s filmed well, and it’s respectful of an iconic character played by the legendary actor who brought him to life forty years ago and does so once again. It isn’t perfect, and there are a few things I’d have liked to have been different – particularly more time for Rosewood and Taggart, a few more action beats, and more involvement from Axel in the action that’s here – but it stands as a good resurrection of a franchise everyone thought was dead.