Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, 2024.
Directed by Mark Malloy.
Starring Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kevin Bacon, Taylour Paige, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot, James Preston Rogers, Patricia Belcher, Giovannie Cruz, Damien Diaz, Joseph Aviel, Ambur Marie, Sean Liang, and Luis Guzmán.
SYNOPSIS:
Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills after his daughter’s life is threatened, where old pals John Taggart and Billy Rosewood are working to uncover a conspiracy.
Wasting no time before jumping into a sting at a Detroit Red Wings hockey game, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F gives detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy, seemingly stuck in a stop-and-go loop during this renaissance part of his career) ample opportunity to demonstrate that he can still do the light-speed wisecracking (albeit less edgy here) with a determined grit to nail the bad guys. The sequence then transitions into a vehicle chase with Axel Foley driving a snowplow, causing mayhem on the roads in hot pursuit.
It’s an exciting segment that, for the most part, appears practically accomplished while also immediately striking a nostalgic chord. Lorne Balfe’s louder, remixed version of the original theme also certainly helps set that mood. The point is that even if it’s retreading the same ground as how every Beverly Hills Cop movie starts, debut director Mark Malloy establishes a feeling of being in safe enough hands.
Scripted by Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten (based on characters created by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr.), the film doesn’t have much ambition beyond that. Following a mess made while catching criminals off duty, Axel Foley finds himself heading from Detroit to Beverly Hills, wrapped up in a mystery that sees old detective friend Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) missing and potentially caught up in something dangerous. Billy’s findings are related to an imprisoned man framed as a cop killer, with Axel Foley’s lawyer daughter, Jane Saunders (Taylour Paige), taking up the case pro bono. Meanwhile, Sergeant John Taggart (John Ashton), who works closely with the highly suspicious Captain Cade Grant (Kevin Bacon in slimy, crooked authority mode), assures Axel that no one is dirty.
There is also an intriguing dynamic in watching the back-and-forth between an estranged father and daughter where the former was always so indebted to the police service that he neglected the latter, which drove her away to such a degree that she ended up with a job defending people the law puts away who may actually be innocent. Of course, none of this is mined for something compelling or deep. Joseph Gordon Levitt is quickly introduced as Jane’s former significant other cop/helicopter pilot to make for an awkward family affair, replacing the would-be banter between detectives.
Thankfully, the chemistry is there, but Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F primarily works simply because Eddie Murphy hasn’t lost a rapid-fire comedic beat and is having a blast, which naturally makes us invested. There is no denying that Mark Malloy and company are playing the hits here, with Axel Foley putting out a number of silly impersonations and reconnecting with a new ally what feels like every 30 minutes. In another somewhat missed opportunity, the film gestures at the lack of respect most civilians have for cops nowadays, with people listening when Axel Foley brandishes a gun more than a badge, but that feels like an afterthought for presumably focus-tested family drama (every franchise is about family nowadays.)
As much as it is understandable to take legacy sequels into a generational direction with offspring characters, arguing between father and daughter also serves as a buzzkill to the fun, particularly because the inevitable emotional beats are so broad and less concerned with meaningful characterization. People will either cheer during the climax or roll their eyes at Axel Foley’s obvious act of selflessness to prove love to his daughter. With that said, it was probably best to limit the screen time of the aged supporting characters who simply don’t have the same verve of Eddie Murphy.
Fortunately, the numerous car chases and shootouts all have a welcome grittiness to them, although it would be a stretch to say any of them stand out as special. The most satisfying aspect is that Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F feels less like a modern blockbuster and more like a product of yesteryear filmmaking. That’s not to say this film isn’t lazy in some of the same typical ways as these legacy sequels are, but this one at least has a functioning understanding of why the first film was so successful. It’s baseline effective and aggressively average, elevated by Eddie Murphy trying to recapture his prime.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
