BEVERLY HILLS COP (1984)

Country: U.S.A.

Genre(s): Action / Comedy

Director: Martin Brest

Cast: Eddie Murphy / Judge Reinhold / Lisa Eilbacher

Plot

Detroit Detective Axel Foley travels to Beverly Hills to investigate the murder of an old friend.

What I Liked

I don’t even want to think about how many movies are out there with smart mouth cops who break all the rules and piss off their by-the-book superiors.  The difference with “Beverly Hills Cop” is that Eddie Murphy is much more believable than any other actor who attempted the role before or since.  It’s perfectly clear that much of Murphy’s dialogue was improvised, as the script was apparently originally written with Sylvester Stallone in mind and it is impossible to conceive of Sly being able to pull off most of Axel Foley’s lines, let alone his attitude.  It is that attitude that makes the movie so much fun.  Murphy seems to be having a great time just tearing up the script and being himself for an entire movie.

There’s not much that needs to be said about why “Beverly Hills Cop” is a fantastic movie.  This isn’t a complex movie; its strengths are all right there in front of your face.  It’s simply fun, funny, and entertaining.  The action is eye-dazzling, the casting perfect, the soundtrack catchy, and the storyline simple enough to be accessible for anyone while also allowing for constant mining of the comedy found in its Detroit-meets-L.A. culture clash.

What I Didn’t Like

“Beverly Hills Cop” is very much a product of its time.  This was the heyday of straight-forward action flicks with big name stars (“Die Hard,” “Lethal Weapon,” “Terminator,” “Rambo,” and all of their myriad sequels).  Aesthetics, style and artful innovation took a backseat to bigger stunts and bigger stars.  In that respect, “Beverly Hills Cop” is more of the same, just with a much needed lighter, comedic twist from Murphy.  Complexity and art were never this film’s goals and there is no reason to judge the film by such criteria.  It’s simply excellent entertainment that only the worst of cynics could refuse to enjoy.

As I mentioned multiple times already, it is Murphy who is responsible for most of the fun of the movie.  His exploitation of the street-smart cop versus uptight Beverly Hills dynamic is brilliant and never gets old.  It stays funny through the whole film through multiple viewings, but after this viewing I realized there is not a single moment in this film that produces the kind of uncontrollable, bellyaching, tear-inducing laughter that one gets from the best comedies.

Most Memorable Scene

I love when Foley breaks into the warehouse and, going purely on guts, convinces two security personnel to give him access to the company’s files without ever questioning him.  The whole scene is so preposterous and yet Murphy’s talent, humor, and charisma allow the mind to be convinced that he could really pull something like this off and get away with it.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5