Directed By Mark Molloy

Starring – Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judge Reinhold

The Plot – Axel Foley (Murphy) returns to Beverly Hills after his daughter’s (Taylour Paige) life’s threatened. Includes old pals John Taggart (John Ashton) and Billy Rosewood (Reinhold) to uncover a conspiracy.

Rated R for adult language throughout, violence and brief drug use

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F | Official Trailer | Netflix (youtube.com)

POSITIVES

After the monumental disappointment that was ‘Beverly Hills Cop III’, I didn’t think we would ever see Axel, Billy or Taggart again, but the thirty years that has since passed only enhanced the urge to end things on the right note with this franchise, in turn producing a love-letter to longtime fans of the franchise that mostly pays off in spades with everything from finality to entertainment value. As to where that third installment was sanitized with a PG-13 rating and an overall silly execution to the material, ‘Axel F’ grounds the film in the same gritty tonal consistencies of the first two movies, with appropriately effective humor between rigorous shootouts and various traffic collisions that spring seamlessly from the depths of the forty year chemistry of its primary ensemble. Likewise, the story and direction from Molloy takes the franchise and its titular protagonist in refreshingly original directions previously unexplored, offering not only justification in the manifestation of a fourth installment thirty years after its previous film, but also insight into Foley, which was explored purely at a career respective, to this point. I love the stark contrast between Foley, the perfect cop, to Foley, the neglecting family man, as it shows the commitment of making a difference does come with unforeseen consequences that aren’t always easy to fix, made even more difficult with the aging realities of more than forty years in the field that seemingly balance the odds between he and his newfound antagonist entity. Molloy’s production garners all of the sentimental feelings of enthusiasts towards this property, with every song or score between the first two films finding its way into the atmospheric rendering of this installment, and while the fan service does eventually become a bit tedious in particular scene locations and outcomes practically replicating themselves, it’s proof that Molloy did his homework on the advanced history of this series, with almost everyone who is still alive in real life finding their way back to Beverly Hills for a family reunion. This is integral to the performances, as the trio of Murphy, Reinhold, and Ashton, while not spending much on-screen time together, do carry a respect and debt of gratitude to one another for fighting so many battles alongside each other, and while the latter two are unfortunately glorified cameos, Murphy seamlessly steps back into the role of Foley with the same endless charisma and psychology that made him a household name during the 80’s. Though older, the film does a good job of keeping Murphy in the areas where he feels most comfortable, and as a result we get the rare timeless performance from him that feels like little to no time has passed along the way, especially in working alongside the two meaningful newcomers, in Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Taylour Paige, who appraise value to their respective outlines. Between them, Paige definitely makes the most of her screen time, exerting the same stubborn resiliency as her on-screen father, but with an underlining air of resentment towards him that effortlessly conveys this as a relationship with plenty to still be settled, which only further adds to the complexity of this case that grows bigger with each additional insight. As for the comedic material, Netflix’s springing for the coveted R-rating does attain an adult flavoring on the proceedings that was much appreciated from the child-like glee of its predecessor, with believability in dialogue and grit in brutality that felt appropriate for not only the career, but also the various settings between Detroit and Beverly Hills. Particularly the scenes involving John Taggart feel much more energized and enhanced by the freedom to exploit his elements of responsibility to the job, and while some could label it as unnecessary profanity, I see it as psychological insight into the character who has been involved in the career for longer than he probably should’ve. Lastly, while much of the attention will deservedly go to the effectiveness of the humor, which is why I feel people watch a Beverly Hills Cop movie, to begin with, the realism of the action scenes, complete with unbridled intensity and practicality, also deserve respect as these odes to a daring and more risky time to filmmaking. While nothing extraordinary by technical practices, the guerilla approach of practical stunt work, in everything from street gliding helicopters, to garage hanging automobiles, subscribes to a tangibility of urgency and vulnerability that you won’t get from artificial effects work, and while these sequences will inevitably be overshadowed by the limitless charisma of Murphy, or the fan service of its originals, the merit of legitimate devastation deserves just as much praise.

NEGATIVES

Clocking in at nearly two hours, ‘Axel F’ definitely could’ve used another edit, especially with the primary mystery and investigation into the antagonist, which is probably the least compelling element of this script. Between a supposedly big reveal that I saw coming from the very minute that this character was introduced, and exposition that grew to be tediously convoluted by even the third instance that it added to the unraveling, there’s far too much time spent on the specifics of the case instead of the dynamic between father and daughter, or even Taggart and Rosewood as a whole, pushing the pacing to stretched to the limits of its breaking, specifically during the second act, where its meandering can be felt the most. In addition to this, while the film does evade the most desperate instances of fan service involving redoing gags from previous films, it is definitely guilty of sampling the backdrops of those previous films, with certain scenarios eliciting a far greater familiarity than I would’ve appreciated. It’s obviously not a major issue to the film, as fan service is often used to inscribe a wink-and-nod to the audience looking for any reason to stroll down memory road, but it does leave the execution of Molloy feeling a little safer than initially expected, especially with the movie’s introduction, Axel’s hotel check-in, a bar crawl, and a car valet being some of the notable instances of its sampling. While there are only so many places that the film could emanate from, the similarities are just a bit too on-the-nose for my tastes, making the film feel like a greatest hits collection of time honored favorites, instead of its own original product. Finally, Molloy and production do a remarkable job of conjuring the same energy and dynamics of its previous installments, but fumbles a couple of key aspects to characterization that resulted in me scratching my head with what year this film takes place. For my money, I seem to have nailed it down to 2022, but even then certain exposition proves it to be wrong, as Axel tells a character that he’s been a cop for thirty years, when in reality he’s been a cop for at least forty, with the original film taking place in 1984. What makes me think it’s 2022 is because his daughter says she’s thirty-two years old, but in 2024 that would mean she was born in 1991 or 1992, which was before the third film in the franchise, in which Axel had no children or relationship. It’s not something that will bother most people, but to me it’s a glaring inconsistency to the continuity that I wish was better smoothed over, especially since the film literally acknowledges that the third film does exist in this canon.

OVERALL
‘Beverly Hills Cop 4: Axel F’ proves that the heat is on with this respected franchise, eliciting a highly entertaining delve back into this world and these characters that rights the wrongs of its fumbled predecessor. Thirty years have passed, but Murphy still channels the radiant charisma of the think-fast Foley that he seemingly turns on with the push of a button, and with a script that advances the character into fatherhood and grizzled aged veteran, produces some enthralling drama to add to the effective humor that says goodbye on the right note, even despite its occasional fumbles.

My Grade: 7/10 or B-