Beverly Hills Cop (1984) User Reviews

Eddie Murphy at the peak of his career

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 23 December 2017]

Mega-hit action comedy from Paramount Pictures and producing duo Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. Eddie Murphy became a genuine superstar with the starring role of Detroit Detective Axel Foley, a rule breaker and wisecracker that travels to Beverly Hills to solve a childhood friend's murder. It puts him at odds with a shady art dealer (Steven Berkoff) and the Beverly Hills police department. But Foley soon proves his mettle out West as he obviously has superior detective skills compared to his rule centric equivalents in Beverly Hills.

There are a lot of laughs here, and Murphy has tons of screen charisma. A lot of this will probably seem routine to modern audiences, but at the time this film established the action-comedy as one of the biggest genres of the decade. It also contains one of the signature 80's soundtracks, both the pop songs (several of which charted) and the score by Harold Faltermeyer, which includes the top ten single "Axel F." Directed by Martin Brest.

What helped make this film so great - the very fact that nobody involved KNEW it was great until it got rave audience reaction, is exactly what killed the sequel. Beverly Hills Cop Two rests too much on the laurels of the original, but then that is another story.

The heat is on - indeed!

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 29 November 2009]

Cocky rule dodging Detroit Cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) heads to Beverly Hills in search of those responsible for murdering his friend. Upon getting there he falls foul of everyone he meets due to his tough Detroit approach work. Undaunted, Foley, aided by old friend Jenny Summers (Lisa Eilbacher) and two intrigued local detectives, starts to unravel the mystery.

Hey Axel you got a cigarette?

There was a time when Eddie Murphy ruled the world. After Trading Places had introduced us to his sharp comedic tongue, and 48 Hours had shown him to be a more than capable action character actor, Beverly Hills Cop fused the two together and propelled Murphy to super stardom. Directed by Martin Brest and produced by Messers Simpson & Bruckheimer, it's really no surprise that "Hills Cop" is shallow, simple (a fish out of water comedy standard) and utterly commercial. Yet with its gusto, humorous script (Daniel Petrie Jr) and neat plotting, it becomes a hugely entertaining film - led superbly by Murphy due to infectious comedy energy and superb knack for timing.

You're not going to fall for the banana in the tailpipe routine!

It's hard to believe that the likes of Sly Stallone and Al Pacino were first mooted for the role, so not as a comedy one imagines, but as it being a standard police action movie, but enter Murphy and it ended up as a fine blend of action and comedy. There's little digs at Beverly Hills and its smugness, a way of life that Foley, with his down on the streets toughness, can't comprehend, while opposing police methods also get a wry once over - wonderfully threaded in the relationship between Foley, Taggart (John Ashton) and Rosewood (Judge Reinhold).

Small gripes reside, such as Steven Berkoff's by the numbers villain being something of a let down and Ronny Cox is sadly playing filler time with an underwritten character. But this is about Murphy, the fabulous stunt work and the successful union of action and comedy. And hey! even Harold Faltermeyer's bobbing synth score, "Axel F," has a nippiness that remains quintessentially 1980s. 8/10

Great star vehicle for Eddie Murphy

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 4 January 2014]

Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is a brash young Detroit cop. His childhood friend Mikey returns from LA having crossed the wrong people. Mikey is executed while out with Axel. Axel doesn't get the murder case. So instead he takes his vacation time in Beverly Hills to investigate. There he runs into cops who do things a little differently.

It's a simple formula of action and Eddie Murphy hijinx. Eddie Murphy makes jokes, do the action thing, and create havoc. Young Judge Reinhold, grisly John Ashton, and by-the-books Ronny Cox play the Beverly Hills cops. There is the clash of culture, and Murphy's hilarious laugh. This is a star vehicle for Eddie Murphy, and he drives it with style.

One of my all-time favorites: witty, warm, and very funny!

[EdKoh · 20 October 1999]

Martin Brest has only made five feature films (Going in style, BHC, Midnight run, Scent of a woman, and Meet Joe Black), films strikingly different from one another, but that all share certain traits. They are finely crafted, energetic, and extraordinarily human. The warmth and friendship shine through, even through the gun- and fist-play which are obligatory in a cops-and-robbers movie. This is one of the first and best prototypes of the buddy movie.

Brest's casting is superb, and he elicits performances which are often the best of even young actors' careers. Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, and Ronnie Cox are outstanding, and the ensemble clicks like a well-oiled infield. To me, this movie is still far and away Eddie Murphy's best performance. He is remarkably talented, a comic genius. As an actor, his expressions are sometimes outlandish, but always completely in character, and appropriate to the dramatic situation. Villain Victor Maitland (played by Steven Berkoff, the husband of Alberta Watson, Madeline in La Femme Nikita) is chillingly underplayed; the cold-blooded evil shines through the civilized facade.

BHC is one of the few movies which I can watch with my loved ones again and again and never tire. Even as a comedy, it has a solidness and integrity which make it extremely durable. I look forward eagerly to Martin Brest's next film. Meanwhile, I always have Beverly Hills Cop.

Far better than expected!

[paulclaassen · 7/10 · 23 July 2021]

I must be honest, I was never interested in watching 'Beverly Hills Cop', as I was under the impression it was a slapstick comedy. Whatever made me decide to watch this, I don't know, but on the spur of the moment I opted for this movie, and I'm glad I did.

I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was it actually funny (and not slapstick), it was an entertaining action movie with great stunts, good action sequences - especially the opening scene! - and darn good acting from Eddie Murphy. He was just hilarious. I loved the characters and the somewhat unusual circumstances they often found themselves in. Not only was Eddie Murphy's character, Axel Foley, funny, but his practical jokes on colleagues were also funny.

To add to this, it was a really good story. I found it interesting and fun to watch all the way. I also loved the soundtrack. You gotta love those 80s action movies! 'Beverly Hills Cop' was indeed a nice surprise.

Beverly Hills Cop is the best classic Action comedy film from the 80's

[ivo-cobra8 · 10/10 · 16 October 2015]

Beverly Hills Cop (1984) is my favorite childhood movie. It is one of the best Action Films in the 80's I have seen. I don't care if it is written comedy in the genre. It is humor in this film but I am considering as a classic Action Film. It is definitely Eddie Murphy's best film. Film about Beverly Hills Cop and Cobra will not be today Action films like are this. I am really disappointed with how action films are turning today. Beverly hills Cop is a legendary film. A film that I will always cherish and I will never get tired of it. I love this movie to death. Great job reviewing one of the best classic action films ever.

This is my favorite film and one of the best classic action films from the 80's of all time. Yes I grew up with this film, that always fascinated me how this film is fascinated, awesome, brilliant and very funny. Eddie Murphy kick's ass!!!

A freewheeling Detroit cop pursuing a murder investigation finds himself dealing with the very different culture of Beverly Hills.

Beverly Hills Cop is a movie made successful entirely on the performance of its star. The film is fairly shallow when it comes right down to it -- really, it's a whole lot of talk, a fair bit of comedy, and only a little bit of action -- but Star Eddie Murphy's (48 Hrs.) charisma and complete mastery of his character is what makes Director Martin Brest's (Midnight Run) movie a fan-favorite success. Outside of Murphy, Beverly Hills Cop is as routine as routine gets; a standard cops-and-robbers plot, no mystery, and point-and-shoot and in-the-raw direction make for an otherwise dull picture, but Murphy saves the film from its own shortcomings with so much flair and genuine excitement that this might be the all-time best of any of the "actor-singlehandedly-makes-the-movie" movies. Beverly Hills Cop is the very definition of a "star vehicle," a movie that's nothing without its lead -- this specific lead at that -- but with him? It's a movie that's always masking its mistakes behind Murphy's big smile and quick-to-the-punch comic style and timing that he's got going on no matter the time, place, or circumstances in the story, selling the character and his actions with a startling effortlessness that transforms him into Axel Foley in every scene.

Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is a slick, smooth-talking Detroit detective who's disobedience and disregard for procedure has once again landed him in hot water with his Chief, and a promising career is on the brink of disintegration. Axel Foley is Eddie Murphy's best role that made him in to a star today.

Beverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American action comedy film directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit cop who heads to Beverly Hills, California to solve the murder of his best friend. Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Lisa Eilbacher, Steven Berkoff and Jonathan Banks appear in supporting roles.

This first film in the Beverly Hills Cop series shot Murphy to international stardom, won the People's Choice Award for "Favorite Motion Picture", was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) in 1985. It earned $234 million at the North American domestic box office, making it the highest-grossing 1984 film in the U.S.

Beverly Hills Cop is always on the precipice of disaster, the picture teetering on the edge but always pulled back from the brink by Murphy's contagious enthusiasm and pure comic timing. About half the film, it seems, is constructed almost exclusively of scenes featuring Murphy's character being chewed out for his actions that take place in the other half of the film. Whether he's defending himself in front of his superiors or defending his life on the streets of Detroit and Beverly Hills, Murphy consistently and perfectly juggles the film's requirements for action (as sparse as the action may be) with what is almost always subtle but extraordinarily effective humor that always flows from the story and feels genuinely off-the-cuff, rather than force-fed into the plot just to try and squeeze out a laugh from its audience. It's the film's sense of real, genuine storytelling, then, that outside of Murphy, is its greatest asset. The film is awfully standard, yes, but it's never mechanical, instead playing as completely organic. The interplay between characters seems perfectly natural, as does the humor, and it's all thanks to Murphy's uncanny ability to carry the movie with so much natural swagger and charm that Beverly Hills Cop is so much fun in spite of what would otherwise be a forgettable loser of a movie.

The heat is on in this fast paced action-comedy starring Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street smart Detroit cop tracking down his best friend's killer in Beverly Hills. Axel quickly learns that his wild style doesn't fit in with the Beverly Hills Police Department, which assigns two officers (Judge Reinhold and John Ashton) to make sure things don't get out of hand. Dragging the stuffy detectives along for the ride, Axel smashes through a huge culture clash in his hilarious, high-speed pursuit of justice. Featuring cameos by Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot and Damon Wayans, Beverly Hills Cop is an exhilarating sidesplitting adventure!

I love this film, it is one of the funniest movies that I've ever seen. Eddie Murphy rocks the house.

Action pace and comedy with a magnificent Eddie Murphy

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 2 October 2006]

Axel Foley (Murphy) is a foul-mouthed, street-smart and freewheeling Detroit police agent, when a friend is murdered ,he heads to L. A. to investigate. He arrives in Beverly Hills where finds an old friend (Lisa Eilbacher). The clues lead a mobster (Steven Berkoff)and henchman (Jonathan Banks) suspects of killing, drugs and customs bonds. He's helped by a pair of sympathetics L. A. detectives (John Ashton, Judge Reinhold) causing wreak havoc on the way.

The picture mingles action packed, thriller, fast pace, and humor with tongue-in cheek . It's an Eddie Murphy recital accompanied by two likable pals: Ashton and Reinhold creating a fun buddy movie, besides a grouch chief (Ronny Cox). The picture contains spectacular scenes, stopped action as usual in the Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer productions. Hilarious relief at charge of Eddie Murphy, his fast-talking and jokes with the buddies cause most big laughs and gags subordinated to action. This vehicle for Eddie Murphy as freelance police is terrific, it's his greatest success and became him in a world star confirming his position as number one in the box-office.

Catching musical score with international hit smash by composer Harol Faltermeyer. Glimmer and atmospheric cinematography by Bruce Surtees (classic cameraman Robert Surtees's son). The motion picture was well directed by Martin Brest. It's followed by two inferior sequels with similar actors and producers, the second installment directed by Tony Scott and the third part directed by John Landis.

Funniest combination of bananas and tail pipes in cinematic history...!

[Anonymous_Maxine · 9/10 · 11 November 2004]

Beverly Hills Cop is by far Eddie Murphy's most popular role, and the movie that officially launched his career as a genuine movie star. It was one of those movies that my dad would let my brother and I watch on weekends, after my mom made him promise not to show us any rated R movies, and over the years it's easy to forget the level of violence and profanity in it that earned it that forbidding rating. Of course, as a kid I was just excited that I was getting to see something that I shouldn't, but in retrospect I tend to think that it was this combination of clever comedy and the ingredients from harder action thrillers that ensured Beverly Hills Cop's status as a cop comedy classic.

You see, Foley has a bit of a criminal past of his own, but he is clearly much more at home on the right side of the law, and he uses his experiences in crime to his advantage in working his way into the criminal underworld, where he routinely attempts to bring down major crime ring kingpins. One day an old friend comes to visit him after having been released from prison and spending some time relaxing in the California sun. The two have a great time at the bar recounting their old criminal days together, until we learn that this guy, who once took the fall for one of Axel's crimes and served prison time for him without ever mentioning his name, now has stolen bearer bonds with him worth millions. Before long the owner of the bonds shows up and is not in a reminiscent mood. Axel is knocked out as they're staggering back to his apartment for the night, and he wakes up to find his friend murdered.

The movie follows one of the biggest 1980s action movie clichés to the letter. Every single line is here, 'take some time off,' 'stay away from this case,' 'if you go after this guy don't bother calling in on Monday,' etc. My eyes tend to glaze over whenever I hear this situation in a movie, probably because I work so much and in such situations can only think of how great it would be if my bosses told me to take some time off, go on vacation, don't let them catch me working or they'll fire me. But Foley's trip to Beverly Hills to perform his own investigation yields results so promising that it keeps the movie moving along at a pretty fast pace. Of course we realize the real life odds of a police officer traveling to the other side of the country and immediately stumbling across the major crime organization that he's looking for, but Murphy's quick-talking wit and street-wise charm makes it pretty easy to root for him.

The movie has the perfect premise to combine with Murphy's personality – he's an urban cop from Detroit named Axel Foley who is always driving his boss insane because he doesn't wait for piddly things like authorization when he wants to do major undercover work. The movie opens with one of these undercover and under the radar missions, which culminates in the police being called and then a major car chase through city and residential streets that must have caused millions of dollars in damage. Of course, when the cops have Axel at gunpoint, he gives them a grin and they shake their heads and lower their guns. Aw shucks, it's that crazy Foley again!

Judge Reinhold and John Ashton play Detectives Rosewood and Taggart, two of Beverly Hillss finest who are assigned to keep an eye on Foley and make sure he doesn't start doing police work while a dozen states or so outside his jurisdiction, from which he's suspended anyway. So Foley moves around among the Ferraris and BMWs and Mercedeses of Beverly Hills in his ancient, beat up Chevy Nova, cheerfully laughing at Taggart's and Rosewood's bumbling efforts to tail him and doing his investigation right under their noses.

In the standard buddy cop movie sitcom, you have two wildly different people thrown together in a police partnership situation and forced to work together. This was a staple of the 1980s and has remained popular to this day, with classic movies like Lethal Weapon, Tango & Cash, 48 hours (one of Murphy's own earlier comedies), Red Heat, Rush Hour (could two cops ever be more different than Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan?), and possibly my favorite, Hot Fuzz. And of course I shouldn't forget Bad Boys, which may very well have so much in common with Beverly Hills Cop as to warrant suspicion of plagiarism. I'll let it go though. I'm sure Eddie Murphy doesn't mind. Anyway, Beverly Hills Cop does follow all of the basic rules of your standard buddy cop movie, but somehow manages to avoid feeling like a formula film.

The combination of Axel's determination to avenge his friend's murder is juxtaposed with hilarious situations involving Taggart and Rosewood trying in vain to keep an eye on him, as well as various police organizations tearing their hair out trying to keep him under control. Picture the police chief in Last Action Hero, a bad movie for which I maintain a certain affection, and make him intelligible and add a lot of profanity and you'll get some idea of what's going on here. I don't know that Beverly Hills Cop can quite be called a comedy classic, but it is definitely an action comedy classic.

Also keep your eye out for the hilarious cameo from Bronson Pinchot, who you may remember as Balki from Perfect Strangers! Eleventh best TV show ever!

Murphy at his funniest

[brendancrowl · 7/10 · 14 April 2020]

Eddie Murphy got his start on Saturday Night Live (1975) in the early 80s and starred in movies such as 48 Hours and Trading Places. He stars in this hilarious cop comedy. One of the funniest comedies of the 1980s and it still holds up.

Murphy's best role - a unique fish-out-of-water comedy!

[MovieAddict2016 · 10/10 · 12 November 2004]

Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is in Beverly Hills for a few days to investigate the murder of an old acquaintance. Axel assumes the suspect is a local tycoon, but no one seems to believe him – including the police force, being semi-run by Ronny Cox (in one of his rare good-guy roles).

Axel comes into trouble with the law his first day on the job after getting thrown through a glass window by some thugs. He is arrested, and when released finds himself hounded by a pair of inept police officers around the town for a few days. After outsmarting them (in one of cinema's most delightful moments – ever) Axel gets hooked up with an old friend and manages to roam the streets looking for clues – which, of course, he finds very easily.

Before this film Eddie Murphy had starred in one film that had launched his name into Hollywood: "48 HRS." But by all reasonable comparisons this is a much, much better film, and it's also much, much funnier, too. What's most refreshing is that it doesn't fall back upon the stereotypes of African-Americans inherent in so many mainstream motion pictures – the role of Axel Foley was originally written for Sylvester Stallone (who was actually attached to star early on in pre-production before dropping out of the project) and it's quite clear that Foley was intended as a white character. Although massive rewrites were employed only two weeks before shooting, script flaws can still be spotted – the heroine of the story is a white businesswoman, for example, and we expect some sort of sexual tension between them but there is none. We begin to question the very presence of the female lead because in essence it leads nowhere. We can imagine how it might have developed into a love story, but Murphy works against the flow, awkwardly treating her as nothing more than a friend.

These sorts of things sometimes bring out the occasional odd touches in the film – ironically they unintentionally set the film apart from other such movies of the genre because it's not typical in any sense. Sure, it has the routine shoot-outs but there is no romance subplot, no pointless racial comparisons (more of which would be seen in the two sequels), etc. The movie greatly benefits from this because it seems so fresh, and far more believable – after all, rarely are romances developed in two days. The action genre always seems to end with the hero sending off the crooks to jail, and finally getting a long-awaited kiss from the leading lady. "Beverly Hills Cop," to its credit, manages to avoid this and the result is a far more enjoyable film, even if most of its sequences are far from being 100% realistic.

The film's director, Martin Brest, has a clear handle on the buddy genre and would go on to direct the immensely successful Robert De Niro / Charles Grodin road-buddies-comedy "Midnight Run," one of the most popular (and best) of the genre. Beverly Hills Cop works just as well – it's funny when it needs to be, thrilling when it wants to be, and features a stellar lead performance by Murphy in his most unusual role.

Murphy is the driving force behind the film, presenting us with a truly likable character – the most likable character he's ever played, as a matter of fact. Axel is unorthodox but a generally good guy – Murphy is sometimes typecast into playing roles similar to that of which he played in "48 HRS." (being the loud, obnoxious racist who's got it all together), but here he plays someone we actually want to root for. At one point in the film he manages to get a couple of police officers in trouble with their superior – but he takes all the blame, and actually fabricates a lie wherein they were heroes doing their job, despite the fact that they were all actually hanging out at a strip club. Axel is tough, cool, quick-witted, nice, sarcastic, and likable – one of cinema's most enduring characters, and proof that African-American cinema heroes don't always have to be loudmouths in order to succeed as characters (pay attention, Chris Rock and Chris Tucker).

The now-famous soundtrack (including 'Axel F' by Harold Faltermeyer) is a great blend of techno-pop and electronic rock – the movie's theme is bouncy, rambunctious and fun: a good parallel to Axel himself.

Overall "Beverly Hills Cop" exceeds exceptionally well, even if a great deal of the film's success itself derives from pure accident and chance. I don't think anyone can say that those involved in the production knew exactly what they were doing at the time (DVD supplements include anecdotes about hectic filming and the project almost falling through at one point) -- but as luck would have it everything turned out fine. "Beverly Hills Cop" is an immensely enjoyable film, and one of the best examples of the cop-comedy genre executed properly.

It played better back in 1984, but it's still a good film.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 5 August 2013]

Back when "Beverly Hills Cop" came out in 1984, it was a HUGE sensation--HUGE. Although the film cost about $14,000,000 to make, it earned back almost $250,000,000...in the US alone! And, the soundtrack from the film was almost as big--with many of the songs getting enormous airtime. In fact, the soundtrack was a HUGE hit as well. And, not surprisingly, Eddie Murphy soon decided to call it quits on "Saturday Night Live". On top of that, everyone seemed to be talking about the film...I can clearly remember that. Oddly, however, I didn't get around to seeing the film until now! And, now that I've seen it, I enjoyed it but also feel that the film sure would have played better back in the day than it does today.

In this dramatic-comedy, Murphy plays Axel Foley--a freewheeling cop who seems to be the only one in the film who has a brain. He's smart and capable--and naturally the Detroit Police don't understand or appreciate him. One night, an old friend of Foley's shows up and after an evening partying, some assassins are waiting for them--killing the friend and sparing Foley. Clearly, Foley was not their target. Now, with the BAREST OF EVIDENCE, Foley is going on vacation to Beverly Hills to finish the investigation unofficially. However, once there, he finds the Beverly Hills Cops equally unappreciative of his talents and hassle him throughout most of the film. When the trail leads to a scum-bag named Maitland, the cops must decide whether to keep hassling Foley or jump into the fray with this out of control cop.

The plot itself wasn't all that interesting to me and seemed a bit more like a plot from a TV cop show. However, this is not why folks liked the film. What folks liked, and I appreciated, was Murphy's humor--which was very much appreciated in order to liven up the mediocre plot. Is all this nonsense great? Nah...but it is quite good and Murphy's charisma was a MAJOR plus. Too bad this incredibly talented guy who made this and "Dreamgirls" (for which he received an Oscar nomination) also ended up making "Norbit" and "The Adventures of Pluto Nash". Worth seeing, though you should be aware of the very crude language, violence and brief nudity.

By the way, and it's not a complaint, but HOW DID AXEL GET THAT GUN IN THE BACK OF HIS PANTS AT THE END OF THE FILM?! He was shot in his right shoulder (his shooting arm) and yet the gun is stuffed in the back of his pants---in a way that could only happen if he did it with his damaged arm. And, who sticks their gun back there anyway? They'll end up blowing their butt off!!

Beverly Hills Tops

[Prismark10 · 10/10 · 31 July 2013]

This was one of the biggest comedies of all time. Before this film, there were black comedians in movies that never reached their promise.

Eddie Murphy coming off 48 Hours and Trading Places hit the ball out of the park. He set the template for every black comedy actor to follow which is a bit of a curse in itself.

This is essentially a fish out of water film, with a pure 80s soundtrack, violence, action and a bundle of laughs. The bad guys are vicious and menacing, there is very little charm in Steven Berkoff and Jonathan Banks.

It is the Beverly Hills setting that gives Murphy's character full reign to contrast the police procedures in his native Detroit to that of the more sedate Los Angeles enclave of the rich and famous.

Great support from John Ashton, Judge Reinhold and Ronny Cox.

He's quick, he's charismatic, he's coming to LA.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 31 January 2021]

Certainly one of the earliest examples of a proper cop-based action-comedy, 'Beverly Hills Cop (1984)' is a classic of its genre. With a fast-talking, freewheeling Eddie Murphy in its title role, the picture blends humour and adventure into one delightful little cocktail of one-liners, shoot-outs and bananas up tail-pipes. It just flies by, entertaining you pretty much every step of the way. The story itself isn't all that interesting (the audience is usually just waiting for the heroes to catch up with them) and it's also incredibly generic. However, the charisma of its characters keeps it from ever feeling stale. In general, its narrative shortcomings are easy to overlook. It's energetic and enjoyable right the way through. 7/10

Overrated to the Point of Surreality.

[ajudki20 · 3/10 · 21 November 2022]

The popularity of this movie is mystifying. At the time of its release, it was a smash hit and glowingly reviewed. This can at least partially be explained by the fairly new genre mix of action and comedy in a law enforcement setting. The continued love this movie receives is even harder understand.

This movie is pure vehicle. It barely contains a plot, and it's mostly a scenario set-up. Basically, 'Eddie Murphy is a wise and wise cracking Detroit detective who's a fish out of water in fancy Beverly Hills.' The film is overly long, slow-paced and feels cheaply made and claustrophobic. Even in hindsight of the lasting career of Murphy, the fawning nature of the writing is tiresome. Every scene is written to show how funny, handsome, charming, smart, good hearted, and quick tongued Eddie Murphy is. Not, Eddie Murphy's character, Eddie Murphy himself. This film makes no attempt to create any character. Everyone is barely an archetype. The Beverley Hills police are all stiff, dull-witted foils for Eddie's soap-scrubbed, streetwise genius. Eddie's character is just a fantasy version of himself, and every scene makes him look like an idol, a hundred times smarter, funnier, better at his job and sexier than anyone in a 100 mile radius. When will everyone in California realized how great he is!?

The comedy elements barely register as humor if you aren't paying attention. Often when stand-up comedians jump into film, there is some aspect of comedic originality somewhere in their film's script or performance. Not the case here. The humor is barely sketched out and of the most tired, stale type. It's not even a 'buddy cop' movie, so there is no constant contrast to Eddie's character. He bounces from scene to scene with different, completely non-developed foils, giving them stares, grins or non-witty sass.

Much of the movie is episodic. That often happens when the script or concept is thin. But I've seen a lot of technically not very good movies that lean on episodic storytelling, which are in their own way highly entertaining. I have a weakness for that style of storytelling at times. I guess it is relatable, as it reminds the viewer of everyday life a bit. Beverly Hills Cop is so thin that most of the film leans on episodic writing, but even the episodes feel weirdly spaced out and they are flat and unimaginative. One involves registering at a hotel that is expensive. Another involves making the innocent, proper Beverly Hills officers go to a strip club (gasp) wherein, somehow zero laughs are generated by their awkward response. There are no memorable characters outside of Axel, and he's really not memorable either if you don't already take to the 'Murphy persona'. Axel has little background, few quirks, no real challenges, as every situation is such an obvious set-up to make Murphy look good that the character really doesn't have to respond to actual adversity. His flaws include being too cool, being too funny, being too good a cop, being too laid back, being a get-things-done rebel, and being too street smart etc. The 'love interest' is actually in the film so little and is so under developed that she isn't a love interest. The straight-laced cops are all clones except for Judge Reinhold's incredibly naive and wimpy (until he stands up for Axel and helps at the end, of course!) version of a straight-laced cop.

The movie is unbelievably dated. The music was probably 'cool and badass' at the time, but is about as badass as a neon windbreaker now. That's the fun, 'of its time' part of it being dated. Most of it is low standards of character development, script writing and even cinematography/locations that simply would never see the screen today. I tend to not think of film as an art form that is getting progressively better at this point, and many 80's films are superior to what is coming out today. Beverly Hills Cop manages to find that sweet spot of thrown together cliche that even today is too shameless to get green-lit. 2 and 1/2 stars.

Ultra-Slick and Ultra-Cool.

[tfrizzell · 16 March 2002]

Eddie Murphy became a true bankable superstar with "Beverly Hills Cop". The film is an unconventional detective story that has Murphy, a Detroit police officer, go to Beverly Hills after his close friend is killed. Murphy wants to find out who killed his friend and why. What he discovers is one of the largest illegal drug fronts around in an art museum. Now it is up to Murphy to bring down the bad guys and save the day. "Beverly Hills Cop" is a film that showed the greatness of the 1980s. A pop-culture, box office hit that was funny and full of action and sported a smashing soundtrack. A nice film that is one of the most memorable money-makers of the decade that was the 80s. 4 stars out of 5.

Beverly Hills Cop brings the heat on 7\10

[saadanathan · 7/10 · 3 April 2021]

Eddie Murphy's big hit "Beverly Hills Cop" is a funny and light film, brings a lot to the table: humor, action and a lot of differences between how Detroit works and how Beverly Hills works. Eddie Murphy was one of the big stars of the 80's and his career evolved with every movie and performance of his. This is probably one of his more notable movies. The film overall has much to offer, including those differences between Axel Foley and the other cops. The music is a little painful and overused but it does add the vibe of the 80's.

Axel Foley: Eddie Murphy's best role

[ShadySovereign · 9/10 · 5 June 2005]

Beverly Hills Cop was a big hit in the 1980's. The film was loved by many action fans, as well as comedy fans and movie buffs at the time. It is still being admired by many people as one of the funniest cop movies ever made.

The thing I love about this movie is that Eddie Murphy was perfectly cast as the Axel Foley character. Originally, Sylvester Stallone was considered for the role. Thank God he wasn't! Eddie Murphy was perfect for the role, because he can be a clever cop, and can at the same time be very funny! Another great thing about Beverly Hills Cop is its smashing soundtrack. There are some great hit songs from the 1980's featured in the soundtrack, as well as an excellent musical score which can be heard throughout the movie (to me, the musical score is the Beverly Hills Cop "theme song").

Perhaps the only downside of Beverly Hills Cop is that it can be pretty slow in certain scenes. Hardcore action fans would probably be disappointed by this. But let's face it: Beverly Hills Cop is not an all-out mindless action movie. It is actually a clever comedy with elements of action present within.

To conclude, Beverly Hills Cop is arguably Eddie Murphy's best film since he fits the Axel Foley character perfectly. There are many funny scenes featuring Eddie Murphy that will have people laughing (even the action scenes can be cleverly funny)!

P.S: Look out for cameos by Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot, and Damon Wayans!

Unusual Cop Movie that's Fun

[thespeos · 7/10 · 3 June 2021]

This is an unusual "cop movie" as it combines serious crime, comedy, and the poor inner city world of Detroit, MI (black world) in contrast to the grotesque opulence of Beverly Hills, CA (white world).

STORY: The plot is simple, and there aren't any real sub-plots, but it works well. What's interesting is that these two (2) worlds are brought together unintentionally. Here we have a black Detroit cop who just mixes in with the "rich and famous" without care. Granted, his "fashion" stands out as "inner city," but his easy and comfortable interactions are what set him apart. There's the normal cop stuff: guns, crime ... but it's done with lots of comedic tone - an unusual blend.

ACTING: The acting was fine all around. While Murphy is very talented, the rest of the cast play substantial roles and perform equally as well. Frankly, everyone worked as team, and I got that feeling clearly.

TEMPO: The beginning of the film in Detroit sets up Murphy's visit to Beverly Hills, and it's done fine (though a bit "crazy" with an opening car chase). Overall the pace was fine.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: There weren't a lot of especially brilliant scenes here, or the sound. The film focused on characters and their interactions.

DIRECTING: I thought it was well directed, nothing horrible or brilliant. This director shot "Scent of a Woman," which I thought stunk, being little more than Pacino barking like a dog, and "Meet Joe Black," which I didn't care for either. Not a great resume, but neither a made-for-TV hack.

This was fun, different, and it showed how Murphy is both talented and able to work well at binding people together. Nice work. I'd give it a solid 7.5.

"One drink's not gonna kill us."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 22 May 2021]

This was a lot of fun back in the day and holds up pretty well even now, as I watched it once again the other evening. For me it was one of those movies that remain memorable because of Eddie Murphy's nervous energy and brilliant wisecracks owing to some edgy script writing. My favorite scenes were the banana in the tailpipe, the strip joint take down of the two hoods, and while watching this time around, I happened to be eating a roast beef sandwich while being reminded by Detective Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) that by the time one hits fifty, you have about five pounds of undigested red meat in your colon. I'm a couple decades beyond that, so I probably have to compensate for another couple pounds or so. The film is punctuated by a hip and energetic soundtrack, with a great opener that sets the pace of the story with Glenn Frey's 'The Heat is On'. One minor point caught my attention when I heard it stated a night at the Beverly Hills Hotel went for two hundred thirty five dollars; that didn't sound like a whole lot to me, even for 1984, but it still probably caused the police department some irritation, seeing how it wound up on their tab. For me, this was one of Murphy's best flicks, suggesting one take a look at the couple of sequels that followed.

Not great, but still...

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 11 February 2012]

BEVERLY HILLS COP is one of the films that kick-started the action-comedy movie that ruled the 1980s. Films like LETHAL WEAPON and their ilk wouldn't have existed if Eddie Murphy hadn't come along to begin with and show them how it's done.

I'll admit, right away, that I'm no Murphy fan. I've seen him in a couple of okayish movies (THE GOLDEN CHILD, METRO) but most of his filmography I wouldn't go near. BEVERLY HILLS COP presents him at his most successful and most commercial, full of wisecracks and edgy humour. Watching him go up against the staid, by-the-book-cops is a lot of fun.

The film has dated quite a lot. The story feels a little bland and not much happens. Some of it's repetitive, and other scenes feel extraneous. There are a bunch of familiar faces (Ronny Cox, Steven Berkoff, Paul Reiser) but the really interesting roles go to Judge Reinhold and John Ashton. Watching the effect Murphy's character has on them is a lot of fun.

That's good, because the action is fairly routine and there are no twists that you won't work out well in advance. In fact, I think this would be a pretty pedestrian film were it not for Murphy's larger-than-life turn. He brings the vital life and energy that helped turn this into a classic.

Another brilliant 80s movie

[Schmuck-4 · 10/10 · 18 July 1999]

Without a doubt this film sums up the 80s; a feel-good movie with a great soundtrack and jaw-dropping stunts -- like that shot in the opening chase sequence with the bus doing a powerslide. And of course, Eddie Murphy's hilariously funny one-liners serve as a comic contrast to the violence and profanity. Why can't they make movies like this anymore?

One of the only times Murphy's talents has not been misused.

[policy134 · 7/10 · 8 August 2005]

The first time I saw this back in the 80's I thought that it was hilarious. Since then the passage of time has dimmed the luster a little but I still think that this is one of the best Murphy vehicles ever. His wisecracks was totally uninhibited and it shows.

Since then there has been some good and very bad Murphy movies but when this first came out, his humour was enormously fresh. His sheep-like laugh was the clincher and has since been imitated, but never duplicated.

The plot is not much to speak off and you could only wonder what a disaster it could have been if Sylvester Stallone had been cast, as was originally intended. The idea of a black man rubbing the very white people in Beverly Hills the wrong way is of course brilliantly thought out and I can't think of other actors who could portray the white cops better than the people chosen here.

The one thing I will always remember about this was of course the theme song by Harold Faltermayer. It had some kind of inexplicably hold on you that you nearly whistled the tune out loud every time you heard it. While not in the league of Martin Brests next film, "Midnight Run" it will always be a fond memory of the time Murphy could do no wrong until "Best Defense" was released.

Absolute Classic!!

[whois_mr_keegan · 10/10 · 20 May 2003]

This is one of my favorite comedies of all time! Thank god the Execs at Paramount gave this role to Eddie instead of Sly Stallone. This was supposed to be a pure action movie and Eddie turned it into one the funniest movies to date.

For all you young people who wonder why Eddie Murphy is so popular and keeps getting big bucks to do crappy kids movies, give this one a chance and you'll see why he is one of the greatest comedians ever!!

ps. All the best scenes in the movie (at least the funny ones) were improvised on the spot by the MAN himself!

Now-Tired Themes Make It A Lot Less Fun That It Used To Be

[ccthemovieman-1 · 5/10 · 21 February 2007]

This was a very entertaining movie when I first saw it at the theater in the mid '80s. Later, I enjoyed it on VHS. The film featured good music, good action and good humor.

After a hiatus of 5-10 years, I viewed it again in the late '90s and got more annoyed than anything else. By then, I had seen thousands of movies and was starting tired of the "new stereotypes" I was beginning to see with regularity; reverse racism in which the black guy is always smarter than the white guy, for example. In here, it's Murphy smarter than all the white cops, most of whom are pictured as outright stupid. (If the reverse was shown, there would be an uproar.)

It's also one more example - among hundreds in films since the late '60s - in which the renegade (regardless of color) is the only one who can solve cases. The regular law enforcement, from local cops to FBI to CIA, are always featured as bumbling idiots with stupid superiors. It's all getting tiresome.

Murphy had a great run in the '80s, but his act has worn thin and I hadn't heard much from him in years until this year for his supporting role in "Dreamgirls."

The Peak of Murphy's Career

[Sargebri · 10 July 2003]

This film came out, Eddie Murphy's star was still rising and this pretty much was the pinnacle of his career. This film is a funny, fast paced, action filled fun ride and Murphy really made the film an enjoyable experience. Thank God that Sylvester Stallone backed out because I feel the film would have been a very dark intense film. At least Murphy made Axel into a smart aleck who helped to lighten the mood of the film. Also, the one underrated performance has to have been Judge Reinhold. Reinhold makes an art of playing slightly goofy out of it characters and his portrayal of Detective Billy Rosewood was a perfect example of that and John Ashton was the perfect foil as Taggart. This is definitely one of the top films of the 1980's