Beverly Hills Cop (1984) Review

On Wednesday, Netflix are releasing the fourth Beverly Hills Cop Film: Axel F, so I thought before I watch that film, I would go back and watch the other 3 films in the franchise and here is my review for the first film Beverly Hills Cop. The premise of the film sees a detective from Detroit find his way in Beverly Hills where he looks to solve a murder. 

Main Character

Eddie Murphy plays Axel Foley and he is fantastic in this film. He is so charismatic and you can tell he is really enjoying himself in this role. He became a huge movie star after this and he just oozes big movie star here and I love how fun he is to watch and lead this film. 

Supporting Characters

Judge Reinhold and John Ashton play Billy Rosewood & Sgt Taggart respectively and I really liked them. They are just a fun duo and they do have development throughout the film, you see how their journey with Foley affects them and in the end makes them better police officers. 

Lisa Eilbacher plays Axel's friend and I really like the chemistry that she was with Eddie Murphy. They really sell that they are old friends who haven't seen each other in a while and she was a good part of the film and she isn't just your typical romance for him. 

Ronny Cox plays Lt Bogomil and he is similar to the other cops in that he is tough with Foley but he also has some charm and grows to like him and he gives a strong performance. 

Steven Berkoff plays Viktor Mainland and he is a fun villain, there isn't much nuance about his character but he delivers a fun performance that rises above the content. It is also really fun seeing a young Jonathan Banks as a villain here too after seeing how great he is in Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul. 

Story

The story is really simple and it knows that and hits all the cliches but at least they do it in a pretty fun way and enjoyable way. But it has to be reinforced that if this films plot was shown in 2024 then I would criticise it so I will do it here and say that the film offers little surprise and is cliché which is a slight shame. 

Script

The film is pretty funny, Murphy has some great one liners and he is riffing for the majority of the film and nailing pretty much everything. But this film does lack a little heart and emotion to it, we are meant to believe that Foley is on this revenge mission but I don't think it is properly conveyed and the film goes the comedy route. 

Style

The film looks great, it really feels like an 80's action film. The soundtrack is really great and the action sequences are well filmed. The film flows well and it never slows down or feels boring making it a really enjoyable watch. 

Overall

Overall, Beverly Hills Cop is a great action/comedy film and was a lot of fun to watch. It definitely fits its era and I think it is a film that if you haven't you need to find a chance to watch it at some point. 

Rating - 8/10