Current:Home > Back'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F' review: Eddie Murphy brings Big Dad Energy-LoTradeCoin
'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F' review: Eddie Murphy brings Big Dad Energy
View Date:2024-12-23 16:07:16
After 40 years, Eddie Murphy can play his iconic detective Axel Foley in his sleep. It’s the little details, though, that make his latest “Beverly Hills Cop” movie a true comfort-food throwback: retro Bob Seger and Pointer Sisters tunes, that signature Detroit Lions varsity jacket and the impressive commitment to on-duty ridiculousness.
Three decades after Axel’s last assignment, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” (★★★ out of four; rated R; premiering Wednesday on Netflix) is a confident fourth outing in the action-comedy franchise. And while it's a very modern release – via streaming rather than movie theaters – everything else leans pretty old school.
Join our Watch Party!Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox
Chaos and wanton property destruction – plus Harold Faltermeyer’s synth-groovy “Axel F” theme – again follow Foley from his beloved Motor City to Southern California. A bunch of old faces return, new personalities freshen up the series and Axel, this time boasting Big Dad Energy, further cements himself as Murphy's top cinema character. (Sorry, Donkey.)
After a crazy-pants incident in downtown Detroit involving a snowplow and bad guys on ATVs (all set to Seger’s “Shakedown,” naturally), Axel gets a call from his old buddy Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), who’s left the Beverly Hills police and is now a private eye investigating department corruption. Axel’s estranged daughter Jane (Taylour Paige), an LA defense attorney, has become embroiled in these shady shenanigans by taking on the case of a cop killer and her life has been threatened, which leads to her dad hopping on the next flight out.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
But there are a lot of hard feelings between Jane and Axel – especially on her part. When Billy goes missing, father and daughter reluctantly team up to uncover the conspiracy, with the help of Jane’s detective ex Bobby (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).
Director Mark Malloy makes his film debut with “Axel F,” which is interestingly self-aware: Bobby runs down Axel’s prior Beverly Hills escapades, including one in 1994. "Not your finest hour,” Bobby says, a sharp jab at the forgettable third film. The franchise on the whole nicely borrows a page from the playbook of the similarly toned “Bad Boys” movies in recent years, in this case building out the mythology with debuting characters.
These personas allow Murphy to showcase different parts of Axel. Kevin Bacon’s shady Captain Grant gives him a complicated foil. (Between this and the new horror flick “MaXXXine,” Bacon is enjoying a nifty bad-guy period.) Gordon-Levitt gives Murphy a fun guy to banter with while Paige lets the longtime star dig into Axel’s parental emotions. Why he and Jane haven’t spoken in years is slowly revealed, but Murphy shines in the moment when Axel sees his grown child in person after so long apart, and the chatty cop is left speechless for once.
Familiar players return in supporting fashion, such as Bronson Pinchot’s flamboyant realtor Serge, Paul Reiser’s embattled Detroit police captain Jeffrey Friedman and John Ashton’s Axel pal John Taggart, now the head of the BHPD. One of the biggest disappointments is the limited screen time with original “Cops” stars Murphy, Reinhold and Ashton, separated mainly by plot but energizing when all together.
While the franchise has never been known for hard-hitting police drama, “Axel F” does veer too earnest at times and is at its best when embraces a sillier side, like a chase through Rodeo Drive with Axel driving a meter maid car and “Neutron Dance” pumping through the speakers.
It’s an irresistibly arresting “Beverly Hills Cop” that knows when to play the hits.
veryGood! (7742)
Related
- 2 Florida women charged after shooting death of photographer is livestreamed
- Police seek suspect in fatal Florida mall shooting
- Beyoncé's childhood home in Houston burns on Christmas morning
- 'Jane Roe' is anonymous no more. The very public fight against abortion bans in 2023
- North Carolina offers schools $1 million to help take students on field trips
- Morocoin Trading Exchange: Crowdfunding Models for Tokens.
- Nothing to fear with kitchen gear: 'America's Test Kitchen' guide to tools, gadgets
- Beyoncé's childhood home in flames on Christmas Day: local reports
- Steelers shoot for the moon ball, but will offense hold up or wilt in brutal final stretch?
- Beijing sees most hours of sub-freezing temperatures in December since 1951
Ranking
- Week 10 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
- Kuwaiti and Saudi hunters killed by a leftover Islamic State group explosive in Iraq, officials say
- Powerball lottery jackpot is over $600 million on Christmas Day: When is the next drawing?
- Morocoin Trading Exchange: The Difference Between NFA Non-Members and Members
- One person is dead after a shooting at Tuskegee University
- How Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond Keeps Her Marriage Hot—And It's Not What You Think
- Atomic watchdog report says Iran is increasing production of highly enriched uranium
- Florida police search for Ocala mall shooter, ask public for help finding suspect
Recommendation
-
Man waives jury trial in killing of Georgia nursing student
-
A guesthouse blaze in Romania leaves 5 dead and others missing
-
Police seek suspect in fatal Florida mall shooting
-
Bridgerton's New Look at Season 3 Is the Object of All Your Desires
-
Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger welcome their first son together
-
Morocoin Trading Exchange Analyzes the Development History of Cryptocurrencies.
-
Marjorie Taylor Greene targeted by failed Christmas swatting attempt
-
Brunson scores 38, Knicks snap Bucks’ seven-game winning streak with 129-122 victory