Superman III Review (Revisited Part 2!) "You always wanted to fly, Kent, now's your chance!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right, since I've just done an update on my Superman IV post, I thought I would take another look at my post for Superman III (as I recently watched Reeve films on 4K Bluray). So, Superman III also received mixed reviews from critics in the past and even today audiences have mixed feeling on it but let's take another look and see how it fairs.  

So, there will be usual bits of expansion here and there to the previous review and I will see how the film fairs 43 years on from its release...

And the usual warning is coming...

PLOT SPOILERS WILL BE AHEAD!!!

STORY 

So, the film starts with Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) who is unemployed and down on his luck when the social security cut off his money after 35 months of unemployment.  However he soon finds out he has a knack for computers, as he takes a job with the firm Webscoe and manages to embezzle $85,000 in half cents from the organisation.  After Gus unintentionally draws attention to himself by buying a fancy sports car with his money, the CEO Ross Webster (Robert Vaughan) brings him up and decides to use his talents for hacking for his own ends.

Meanwhile Clark Kent (Reeve) gets permission from Perry White (Jackie Cooper) to do a story on his hometown school reunion in Smallville.  Enroute to Smallville however, Clark and Jimmy's bus is stopped by the police due to a series of fires at a nearby chemical plant but Jimmy and Clark sneak off the bus.  Jimmy runs off to take pictures at the plant whereas Clark changes into Superman and he helps put out the fires by freezing a nearby lake and dropping it over the plant itself.  Jimmy while taking pictures however gets injured at the plant but he is soon rescued by Superman. 

After this Clark returns to Smallville and rekindles his friendship with his childhood friend Lana Lang (Annette O'Toole, lovely).  Lana is now single and a divorcee with a young son Ricky (Paul Kaethler) however she is still pestered by her ex-boyfriend from high school, Brad Wilson (Gavin O'Herlihy).

Meanwhile Gus, is being manipulated by Webster into doing his dirty work as he makes him hack into one of Webscoe's small computer offices (coincidentally also in Smallville) where he contacts the Vulcan satellite, which controls the weather, and makes it create a tornado to destroy Colombia's coffee crop, as a result of the country refusing to do business with Webster.  However Superman intervenes and stops the tornado and dries up the crops, which incenses Webster.

So, after that, Webster now decides to try and get rid of Superman with Webster's busty blonde nutritionist Lorelei (Pamela Stephenson) tells Webster that kryptonite is the only thing that can hurt Superman.  Wesbter then gets Gus to use the Vulcan satellite to track the whereabouts of Krypton's former location in hopes to find a chunk of Kryptonite.  The computer scans show up an unknown element in the kryptonite, which Gus substitutes as tar (taken from the content of his cigarette packet).

Superman on Ricky's birthday turns up, and the event is turned into a parade, where Gus and Webster's sister Vera (Annie Ross) drive up, dressed in an army uniforms, Gus gives a speech to the audience and hands Superman the chunk of synthetic kryptonite, which was made up from the elements scanned by the Vulcan satellite.  However the kryptonite appears to have no effect on him, at first that is, but soon after, the kryptonite starts to make Superman behave strangely, as he becomes moody, apathetic, and commits some petty acts of vandalism, such as straightening the learning tower of Pisa and blowing out an Olympic runner's torch just at the crucial moment of lighting the Olympic flame.

Webster also takes advantage of Superman's immoral behaviour as he get Lorelei to lure Superman into helping them with their oil scam, as they get all the oil tankers to go to a certain destination, except one, which Superman flies to and punctures the hull, to bleed the oil out into the sea.  This also causes chaos in Metropolis as the oil pumps stop pumping after Gus hacks the computer systems controlling them.

Meanwhile Superman's mood worsens, as his sinks into depression, which culminates with him sitting in a bar getting drunk, smashes bottles of alcohol, simply by flicking peanuts at them.  With Lana and Ricky arriving in Metropolis, they witness the drunken Superman walk out of the bar, shouting at the spectators, he flies off, while Ricky calls out after him, with his words echoing in his head, Superman's torment reaches its limit, as he flies into a junkyard and suffers a breakdown. 

In the junkyard Superman persona splits into two, as Clark Kent emerges from himself, as the two of them fight it out,and after repeated attempts to kill off Clark, the bad Superman puts Clark in a grinder, but Clark bursts out of it and strangles the bad Superman, who vanishes.  At this point Clark opens his shirt, revealing his Superman suit, as he flies off and repairs the damage he did to the tanker and goes off to find Webster.

Meanwhile this has been going on, Gus has ideas to build a supercomputer, which he has written out blueprints for and the computer is essentially an invincible machine that can counter attack and find their weaknesses and wipe out them out.  Intrigued by the possibilities of what the computer can do for him, Webster agrees to have the computer built.  The supercomputer once fully built, is ready in time for Superman arriving as the man of steel must try and find a way to defeat Webster and his formidable machine....

THOUGHTS 

Despite the mixed reviews that Superman III got at the time, it has to be said there is still much to enjoy in it despite its overly comedic tones.  And one of the things that really works in the film is Clark's development as a character, as he no longer is as bumbling and awkward as he was before and now he is more confident and self assured (although he still does make a fool of himself in a couple of scenes).  Clark's scenes with Lana are also nicely played, especially the way they keep talking at cross purposes.  The idea of Superman turning evil is also a good one and his fight with himself in the junkyard is one of the film's highlights. Even though Gus Gorman wasn't well received as a character given I think his own story of going from rags to riches and eventually back to rags again makes for an amusing plot development in itself.    

As for the cast members opinion of the film, Christopher Reeve himself was disappointed by the film and the campy comedic tone that Lester took over the previous two films. Richard Pryor also was said to be disappointed by the end result and went as far as to call it a "piece of shit" despite being paid 5 million dollars for the role, which Reeve himself only got 1 million! This surely must have been a bone of contention surely given that Reeve is the main star of the film (unless Reeve was big enough not to mind). Reeve however would go on to get more money for Superman IV and wrestled for more creative control of the film as well (although we all know what to think of that film!). 

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: may contain spoilers!!) 

As for the performances well things are pretty good overall here as the cast do pretty well with their respective roles.

And to kick off Christopher Reeve once again is great as Superman and his alter-ego Clark Kent. Reeve has quite a few highlights in the film that include the scene where Superman arrives at the chemical plant to help out put out a series of fires there.

So, in the scene Superman says to the firemen after learning from one of the plant scientists that there are jars of acid on the plant that could deal devastating damage to the area. So, Superman shouts to the fire chief "Look, Chief, we gotta get this fire out, or your going to have a cloud of acid over the eastern seaboard!".  However, the fire trucks water supply suddenly runs out and the Chief shouts "We've GOT to have water!" and one of his men says "How?! Lake Camooga is five miles from here and we've haven't got a five mile hose!".  Superman then asks "Where is this lake?!" and the fireman points to the right "That way!". So, Supe then flies off to the lake and freezes it with his breath, lifting up the top layer of the frozen lake, he flies it over the plant and drops it and it melts and turns it a big wave of rain that puts out of the fires. So, as he flies over the plant, the fire crew celebrate and the chief says "I tell you, that man is a miracle!". 

Then there is the scene where Clark is with Lana and her son, Ricky, at a bowling alley but Rick is terrible at bowling and Lana's ex, Brad turns up to try and help the boy bowl properly but Clark interrupts. So, in the scene Clark says to Brad "Look, I think Ricky would be better doing it on his own" and Brad says to him "For a guy who was lucky to be water boy in the team, you've got a big mouth, Kent!" and Clark says "I just don't think Ricky needs a bowling lesson in front of the other kids" and he sets Ricky up in position to bowl and he says "OK, Ricky, there you go, now give it your best shot".  However as Clark walks back to sit down, he trips into a cigarette ash stand and the ash from the stand causes Clark to sneeze just as Ricky bowls and the ball speeds along at a super fast rate and it destroys the bowling pins, leaving Ricky and everyone else amazed.  And Lana amazed says "Gesundheit!" and Clark says awkwardly "Thank you".

Another good scene is when after Superman is given the synthesized Kryptonite, he is at Lana's home and he starts to feel the effects of it and begins to behave strangely.  And in the scene Lana tells Superman there is an accident on a bridge and can he help but instead of Supe going to help he simply says to Lana "Well, there's no rush.  Don't worry I always get there on time.  Come on, let's relax a little".  And they both sit down with Lana looking very awkward as Superman stares at her saying "You know its unusual to find a pretty girl like you all by yourself".  So, Lana feeling very uncomfortable says "Look, shouldn't you be doing something about that bridge?" and Superman unaware says "What bridge?" but then he takes a moment and realises what she means and he gets up "You're right.  I have to get going".   

Then comes the scene where the now evil Superman flies to the Statue of Liberty where Lorelei is sitting on the top of it in a fake plea for help but is there to lure and seduce him.  And he says to Lorelei "Well I hope you don't expect me to save you because I don't do that anymore!" and Lorelei says "Oh, I'm long past saving!".  And Lorelei looks up at Superman and says "Well don't let me keep you from anything" and Superman says "I'm not in a rush.  What did you have in mind?" and she says "Lots of things!" and Superman grabs her by the arm and picks her up saying "Oh yeah?".  And Lorelei says "If you just do me one little favour first!" and Supe says "What's that?" and she tells him "Well. See, there's this little boat, and its not going where it's supposed to go and....".

And then there is one of the film's main highlights, the confrontation in the junkyard between the evil Superman and Clark Kent.  And the scene has some good moments that include the evil Superman goading Clark into fighting him and Clark says "I can give as good as I get!" so the evil Superman angrily yells "Well!!  Come on!!  Come on!!" as Clark charges at him and pushes him into a bath of acid, but the evil Supe simply emerges from it unscathed and blows some acid onto Clark's jacket, runing it.  And then there is the moment where the evil Superman grabs Clark as they stand near the top of a crumble car heap and evil Supe says "You always wanted to fly, Kent, now's your chance!" and he throws him off the heap down into a hydraulic press.

Another good moment in the film comes when after Superman turns good again he flies off to confront Webster at the Grand Canyon, who uses the supercomputer to lunch some aerial missile assaults at him, which Superman survives and then he heads inside a cave where Webster is.  And in the Superman says to Webster "Alright, Webster, the game's over!" and Webster says to him "Never underestimate the power of computers!  What do you think?".  And Superman says "I think its typical of people like you, Webster!  All the four of you want to do is help yourselves!" and Gus who is there awkwardly says "Four... of us?  Hey, man!  I'm not with them, Superman!" and Superman says "You could have fooled me, Mister!" and walks toward them only for Vera to launch a couple of the computer's attacks at him.

Then there is the scene where Superman having defeated Webster and his computer, flies with Gus back to Metropolis.  And Gus says to him of the computer "I'm not gonna argue with you!  A man that can tricky my machine can do anything!  How did you beat my defenses?!" and Superman says "Well your defenses were pretty good as long as the machine didn't know it was in trouble.  All I did was go in there with a plain old can of acid and it didn't know when that stuff hots it'll eat through anything".  And as they fly on Superman quips to Gus "I guess it died of acid indigestion!" and Gus groans at Supe's corny joke and Gus asks what of Webster and his two ladies and Superman says "Well they'll have to deal with the police now, its not your problem anymore".  And Gus nervously asks "Are we in Metropolis yet?" and Superman says "Nope, we're just gonna make a quick stop right over there!" and they land in a coal mine in West Virginia where Superman finds a diamond for Lana.        

And last off all when Superman lands at the coal mine with Gus, he looks a lump coal that might conceal a diamond and crushes it open and fines one and says to himself "Just right". So, Superman goes back to Gus and asks him "You ready, Gus?" and Gus says "No, I think I'm gonna take the bus from here". So, Superman says "Well, you suit yourself?" and he then asks one of the coal mine workers "Hey, does your boss have a computer in this operation?" and one of the workers says "Yeah, a little bitty one" and Superman says "Well, you tell your boss, he could do a lot worse than to give Gus Gorman here a job". And Gus looks touched by Superman's kindness and says "Why, thank you, Supe!" and shakes his hand and Superman says "I'll see you around" and he flies off.

Moving onto Richard Pryor who plays the neurotic Gus Gorman and his casting was criticised at the time and to this day many people think that Pryor was horrible miscast in the film.  However I think Pryor wasn't given anywhere near enough credit for his performance as Gus Gorman and he plays the part with some nice comic neurosis and bumbling awkwardness.

Pryor has some good scenes and as a few examples for starters there is the film's first scene where he gets his unemployment benefits cut off because of his frequent unsuccessful attempts to hold down a job.  And the clerk (played by Nancy Roberts) Gus talks to at the labour exchange says to him "Mr Gorman, the city of Metropolis is generous to a fault" and Gus says "I'm not the fault!".  And the clerks says to him "You know what you are, Mr Gorman?" and Gus says "Don't call me a bum!  I'm not a bum!" and she says to him "I was going to say...you are no longer eligible!".

Then there is the scene where when Gus has just started his job with Webscoe he talks with one of the employees about how the computers when they divide up the wages for employees that there are half cents just floating out there, which gives Gus the idea to embezzle the company's half cents.  And as the two of them go to get their lunch, the employee asks Gus "How many sugars do you want, Gus?" and Gus says "One and a half!".

Another good scene is when Gus is orderd to go and see Webster after he pulls the embezzlement stunt and gives himself away by buying a fancy sports car.  And Gus says to Webster "I don't want to go to jail because there are robbers and rapists and rapists who rape robbers!".  And in the scene Webster reassures Gus he won't having him put in jail and instead wants him to use his hacking skills for his own ends.  And in the scene Webster introduces his sister, Vera but he first says to Gus "Gus, have you ever heard of Vulcan" and Gus says to Vera "Hi, Miss Vulcan!".

Another noteworthy scene comes when Gus arrives at one of Webscoe's computer offices in Smallville and we see Brad is a security guard there and Gus turns up wearing a ridiculous cowboy type suit (complete with an oversized cowboy hat!) and he opens a case filled with drinks and the two of them get drunk together until Brad passes out.  And in the scene Gus goes to use the office computer but it requires two security cards to be slotted in by two people to activate it and Gus, very drunk, looks at a sign which Gus reads "Both keys at the same time?!".  And he stands up and says drunkenly to the computer "You think you've won, don't you?!  The Philly flash!" and he goes off to get unconscious Brad and sits him down and ties string around his hand and puts the key in his hand and pulls the string at the same time and they slot both keys in.  And Gus then sits down ready to hack and says to himself "Now we'll see what we'll see!".    

Then later there is the scene when Gus and Vera turn up at Superman's welcome parade in Smallville and they are both dressed in military uniforms.  And Gus addresses the crowd using a loud drill sergeant type voice and he says to them "Now we all know last week half of this great nation of ours almost bit the bullet, if it wasn't for this man right here!" and he points to Superman and the crowd applaud.  And Gus says "And all I can say is thank the lord for Superman!" and he continues after moe applause "Superman, you saved our bacon and I want to show our gratitude".  And he takes out the synthetic piece of kryptonite and hands it Supe saying "This is a token of our appreciation for you saving us from a chemical plant disaster!".

And another good scene comes when Webster presents his plan to Gus for him to hack the computers so he can carry out his scheme to control all the oil but Gus starts to make some demands of his own.  And Gus says to Webster "You know you get your way all the time and its not right!  I wanna know when I get a taste".  And Webster says to him "Well you've already had a taste of freedom, unless you prefer jail?" and Gus asserts himself saying "No you can't run that jail number on me anymore, cos you know I'm more use to you out here doing things for you then being in jail doing nothing for nobody!".  And Webster asks him "What do you want?" and Gus takes some rough drawings out of his pockets and he says to Webster "There are plans, blueprints!" and Webster says "For what?" and Lorelei looking at the prints says "A computer".  And Webster says "We already have computers" and Gus says "No, not like this.  There isn't a computer like this anywhere.  You see we have to build it!".  And Webster intrigued by the idea says to Gus "Tell me" and Gus says "Well first of all, anyone that attacks this machine or anything, the computer counter-attacks it, I mean it finds their weaknesses and wipes them out!".

Then there is the scene when Gus finally arrives at the cave where his supercomputer is and he looks at it, amazed and he says "Baby!  Its daddy!" and he goes up to join them.  But when Superman arrives and Vera uses the computer to try and kill him with a kryptonite ray, Gus has a change of heart and says "Superman!  No!" and he goes off to pull the screw out to deactivate it.  And when he does, Webster goes after him and Gus says triumphantly as he has switched it off "I GOT IT!!" and Webster angrily says "Give me that screw!" and Gus says "THIS screw?!" and Webster says "THAT screw!" and Gus says "Never!" and puts it in his mouth.  And the two of them struggle but Gus manages to punch Webster but he ends up swallowing the screw himself but it is shortlived as the computer turns on again and feeds off the powerline across the country to keep itself going.  And Gus says "Its feeding itself.  It wants to live!".

And lastly there is the scene near the end where Superman drops off Gus at a coal mine but he offers him to go to Metropolis but Gus, terrified of flying says "No I think I'll walk from here".  And Superman asks a couple of mine workers if their boss has a computer and one of them says he has a little one and Superman then says "Well you tell him he could do alot worse than to give Gus Gorman here a job".  And Gus looks touched and says "Why, thank you, Supe" and Superman says "Take care" and flies off leaving Gus amazed and impessed at Superman's generosity and he says "Take it easy, man!".

So, one of the coal miners ask Gus "Well you have pretty good references if you want that job" and Gus takes a moment but turns it down and says "Nah, this isn't for me". So, one of the coal miners asks "So, you really flew with him?" and Gus says "Yeah. Haven't you seen Superman before?" and the miner says "No". So, Gus brags "You don't know about me and him? Superman?!" and he opens shirt as if he had a Superman outfit underneath but it jsut reveals he is wearing a vest, leaving Gus looking embarrassed. So, he says sheepishly "Yeah me and Superman..." and he mimics flying and says "Well, usually..." and then asks "Is there a bus stop nearby?" and one of the miners says "Yeah, there's maybe 9 or 10 miles that way" and Gus, taken aback asks "9 or 10 miles?!" and the miners nod. So, Gus says "OK! I'll walk. I think I'll walk!" and he walks off.    

Robert Vaughan is also great in his role as the main villain, Ross Webster, the CEO of Webscoe who is out to destroy Superman so he can carry on his nefarious plans.

Vaughan has some good scenes as well that include his first scene where Webster talks to one of his employees, Simpson, and he tells him "My friend, you are yesterday. Whomever pulled off this caper, is tomorrow!".  And then Webster says "No he won't slip up at all. He'll just go on quietly taking the bread from our mouths and he'll keep a low profile and won't do a thing to call attention to himself.  Unless he is a complete and utter moron!".  And then we hear loud screeching from outside and Webster looks down below from his office window and we see Gus pull up in a Red Ferrari sports car.    

Then there is the scene when Webster has Gus brought up to him and Webster smiles slyly at him saying "You've been a little bit naughty, haven't you?".  And Gus tries to bluff him but Webster let's him off the hook saying "Oh don't worry, how is it you say these days "dig where your comin' from, brother!".  And then Webster tells Gus his plan to teach Colombia a lesson for not dealing with him regarding the coffee supplies.  And Webster says to Gus "You see there is one country that refuses to play ball and you know how that can bug a guy!" and Gus asks "What country?" and Webster expression darkens and he says with contempt "Colombia!".  And Webster says "Oh, I have tried reasoning with them, believe me I've tried.  But this one miserable PISS-ANT little country has the gall to think they can dictate the economy of the open market!".  And when Webster introduces Gus to Vera he tells him about the Vulcan satellite and how it can "create" weather and Gus says "How can it do that?" and Webster says "Like everything else in the 20th century, Gus, you push buttons!".

Another good scene is just after Gus hacks into the Vulcan satellite and makes it create a tornado over Colombia and Webster up on the roof of his apartment building, which has a large ski slope attached, laughs his head off watching the news of Colombia.  And he says "Turn it off!  If I laugh any harder I'll split my sides!" and he skis down the slope and says "Poor little Colombia!".  But then Gus not long after comes in and tells Webster, Vera and Lorelei that Superman saved Colombia and Gus says "Superman was bad!" and Webster angrily says "I'd say he was" and he angrily looks down, sitting in his deckchair "No! No! NO!" and he angrily hits the rests of the chair and it collapses on him.  And Webster gets up and says "He ruined it!  The lousy do-gooder ruined it!  I've got to get rid of him!".

And when they start talking about how Superman can be hurt and about Kryptonite, Webster says "You know what happens when a planet explodes?  Derbis!  Pieces floating in space.  So all we need to do is find out where in heaven Krypton used to be and get good ol' Gus to contact the Vulcan satellite!".  And as Gus says to Webster "I don't think I'm making enough money for this gig!" Webster wearily says to Gus "Gus, if there's one thing I can't stand, that's greed!".

Then there is the scene when Gus calls Webster to let him know that the synthetic piece of kryptonite failed to kill Superman.  And Gus nervously says to him on the phone "Well there was an unknown element in the kryptonite and Superman didn't die".  And Webster says disgusted "I ask you to kill Superman and you can't even do that one simple thing!" and he drops the phone, leaving Gus on the other end hanging.  

And lastly there is the scene where Superman shows up to stop Webster using the supercomputer and Vera switches on a ray that emits a beam of kryptonite, which devastates Superman, weakening him.  And Gus looks on in horror saying "That's Kryptonite!" and Webster says to him "You're a genius!  You've invented a machine that can find anybody's weak spot!  Congratulations, old buddy. You'll go down in history as the man who killed Superman!".

Annette O'Toole also does very well in her role as Lana Lang, Clark's love interest in the film but she also has her ex-boyfriend, Brad as a rival for her affections too.

Annette too has some good moments that include the scene where Lana cleans up the leftovers at the school reunion party and Clark helps her out.  And Lana says to Clark "Thanks for helping me out.  You'd be surprised how many offers I didn't get!" and she continues saying "Its just I feel like I can talk to you".  And Clark who is far away from her says "What?" and Lana yells out louder "I feel like I can talk to you!".  And at the end of the scene Lana looks at an old high school photo of Clark on the wall and she says to herself "You know years later you can look at someone and say "well that's the one that got away".

Then there is the scene where Lana and Clark go out for a picnic in a field with her son, Ricky, and Clark starts taking tubs of food out for the picnic and Clark opens one of them thinking it is pate but Lana then says "Oh no, Clark, that's Buster's dog food!" and Clark takes a beat but continues to eat it saying "That's good!  When does the dog eat?!".  And as the scene continues the two of the comfortably talk with one another and as Lana appears to move closer to Clark she says "Clark, may I tell you something..." and Clark nods but then Lana looks over his shoulder and notices something and she says "My oil pain is leaking!".

And lastly there is the scene when Brad keeps pestering Lana and he calls her up looking to rekindle their former relationship but she is not interested.  And Lana says wearily on the phone to Brad "Brad, please stop calling me!" and Brad says "You better start appreciating old Brad!  What else have you got in Smallville!" and Lana then hangs up angrily and says to herself "What else have I got in Smallville?!".  And as Ricky is trying to do his homework and he shows to Lana, who is pre-occupied with her thoughts and Ricky says "Mum, I think I've got the answer" and Lana resolutely says to herself "So have I" and she calls to book a flight to Metropolis.

Annie Ross also does well her in role as Vera, Webster's obnoxious and bossy sister and she has some good comical moments in her performance of which I'll only mention a few.

And to start off there is Ross's first scene when Vera walks angrily into the room when Webster meets with Simpson over the embezzlement of Webscoe's money.  And Vera walks in demanding who embezzled the money "By WHOM?!  That's what I want to know!  WHOM??!!".  And Webster then says "Vera, get ahold of yourself!" and to himself he says "Nobody else ever will".  And then during the scene Lorelei, Webster's nutrionist turns up for an appointment with Webster and she argues with Vera who says "Pay attention people, I'm about to take a human life!" as she lunges at Loerlei.

Another good one is when Webster unveils his plan to control the oil to Gus and Vera readies herself to give a presentation of the plan to Gus.  And Vera starts by saying "Every pump in America is run by....." and Gus interrupts excitedly "Computers I know!" prompting Vera to explode "WILL YOU STOP INTERRUPTING?!!!" and she then calmly continues "you will order the pumps to stop pumping".

And lastly there is the scene when Webster, Vera and Lorelei arrive at the cave where the supercomputer is and they go inside it and climb the stairs to the computer control console.  And Vera starts to take control and arrogantly says "I know enough about computer to put a PHD to shame!  Come now, dear brother, you didn't think I was going to let that little man run the show now, did you?!".  Vera then says to Webster "Bubba, engage those levers on your right to activate the alpha circuits and lock the modular grid" and she turn to Lorelei "YOU!  Activate circuits 29 through W7 and start full-power coordinates on exterior defensive systems!".  And Lorelei then bursts Vera's bubble and says to Webster "In otherwords push this red button" and she winks at Webster leaving Vera amazed "How did you know that?".

Pamela Stevenson even though her character is a bit annoying also does well with her role as the sexy and busty blonde bombshell, Lorelei who is part of Webster's dastardly schemes.  Lorelei pretends to be just a ditsy blonde however she really is quite intellectual and she likes to just conceal it from the others, which is also a source of some amusement in the film.   

Stevenson has some good moments that include her first scene where Lorelei enters Webster's office to give him a massage but she ends up arguing with Vera.  And Lorelei says to Vera "Why don't you try holding your breath and maybe you'll turn blue!  Improvement!".  And as they continue to squabble at each other, Webster says "Mouths closed...eyes open!" and Lorelei says "She's a big pig!".

Then there is the scene where Superman has just foiled Webster's scheme with the crops in Colombia and Lorelei tells him Kryptonite is what can kill Superman.  And Lorelei says "Kryptonite!" and Webster, Vera and Gus all look at her and Lorelei then feigns her ditziness again and says "Kryptonham....or Kryptonheimer....I forget what its called but its the stuff that can hurt Superman".  And Vera cynically says "How would you?" and Lorelei says "Oh, I know a few things!" and Vera says "So I understand from the graffiti I've seen!".

And later on there is the scene where Webster launches his missiles at Superman when he is behind the control console of the supercomputer.  And as Webster grabs the controls for the missiles, Lorelei says "Don't tense up now, honey!" but as Superman tries to evade the missiles, Lorelei looks on concerned at the video screen and says "Come on, Superman!" and Webster glares at her and she then nervously says "Emm, let him have it, Ross!".

And last of all is the scene where the supercomputer becomes self aware and Lorelei finally drops her ditzy act to Vera and shows her intelligence by looking up at the computer saying "Oh I get it, the coaxial energy shaft is engaging the source grid factor!  We're through, frogface!  I'm splitting!".    
      
And last few I will mention are Gavin O'Heilhry who is good as Brad Wilson once a former high school jock and sports star but now a drunk who stalks Lana to try and get back into her life.

Gav has some good scene as well but I won't mention too many of them as this post is already long enough as it is!  

So, I will mention the scene where Brad while working as a night watchmen for Webscoe in Smallville, sees Gus at the front door, who pretends to be working for the company. So, Gus tells Brad "So, I got this order and I need to get in and set it up tonight!" and Brad asks "Get what set up?!" and Gus open his suitcase, which is filled with bottles of alcoholic spirits and Brad looks stunned and opens the door to let him in. So, Gus says "Pal, your lifesaver, a real lifesaver! Where's the office?" and Brad says "Straight on ahead!" and Gus says "Follow me, huh!" and Brad grins and says "I'm right behind ya!". So, as the two men get pretty drunk, Brad asks for more Vodka to put in his Singapore sling drink and Gus adds it in and says "There's Vodka in it now, buddy!". So, Brad sips and says "Yep, perfect!" and Gus asks him "You don't ever pass out, do you?" and Brad says "Nope!" but he drinks up and falls off the chair unconscious. 

But instead I will mention his last scene which is fun when Brad tracks Lana down to Metropolis and he walks into her hotel room to find Clark on his knee having just given Lana a new diamond ring and Brad reads into the scene, furious.  And he says angrily "Son of a bitch!  Kent, I hate you!  I've always hated you!  You know why?  Because your nice!  And nice guys finish last!" and he aims to hit Clark but misses and he then lunges at him but Clark ducks and as Brad runs at him he jumps onto foldable bed, which Clark lifts up, sending Brad flying onto a trolley cart, which rolls into a lift.

Marc McClure is also good again as he reprises his role as Jimmy Olsen, the Daily Planet photographer and he has a slightly bigger part than usual as Jimmy travels to Smallville with Clark but they stop off at a chemical plant where several fires have broken out.

And in that scene Jimmy sneaks off the bus taking them to Smallville, which is stopped by the police and Clark goes along with him.  And Jimmy says to Clark "You know what the chief says, a photographer always goes after a good story" but Clark warns him "that could be dangerous, Jimmy" and Jimmy smiles saying "Goes with the territory, Mr Kent!" and he gives him the thumbs up and he runs off to get some pics.

And second to last is Jackie Cooper also reprises his role very well as the editor of the Daily Planet, Perry White and he has an amusing scene where a woman, Miss Henderson walks with a tumble drum to do a bingo raffle and he also complains to Jimmy about how he took some boring pictures at Webster's banquet. 

So, in the scene, Perry says to Jimmy "I don't understand you Olsen. A boring banquet and you bring me three thousand boring pictures. Yet Superman saves a man from drowning on 3rd Avenue this morning while you stand there watching the whole thing and you don't even bring me one picture!". So, Jimmy says "I didn't have my camera with me" and Perry lectures Jimmy and says "A photographer EATS with his camera, a photographer SLEEPS with his camera!" and Jimmy mouths along with the words.   

And last of all is Margot Kidder who only appears briefly in the film as Lois Lane as she goes off on holiday at the start.  And as Clark asks Lois if she is going away, Lois says to him "Oh well, Clark, some of us get to go all the way to Smallville.  And some of us just have to settle for...." and she holds up a tiny bikini and she says "Bermuda!".

And later on at the end of the film, Lois comes back with a hefty tan and also with a top story from her antics there.  And White says to her "Lois, I've got to hand it to you, you're amazing!  I mean you turn a three week tropical vacation into a front page story that's going to blow the lid off the corruption in the Carribean!".  And Lois says to White "You know, I just knew I was onto something when that taxi driver kidnapped me!".    

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC 

So FINALLY moving onto the director, Richard Lester, who had already previously directed Superman II (well partly anyway) and here he does a pretty good job although he is guilty adding a liberal dose of slapstick to the film.  And in this respect it does kind of harm the film at times given that there are some truly stupid moments in the film but I will get to them more in the flaws section of the review.  

But for the most part Lester does well with the film and he keeps the pacing pretty tight and it rarely lags and the film itself rarely boring thanks to him keeping the tone light.  And Lester does add some pretty good action scenes as well particularly Webster's missile attack on Superman and the evil Supe's confrontation in the junkyard with Clark Kent.     

As for the music, Ken Thorne once again provides the score, and he again incorporates some of John Williams original themes but this time around the score features more original work of his own.  And the score itself is actually quite good and it has some good tracks in it especially the music used in the scene where Superman is attacked by the supercomputer's missiles as well as the music during the evil Supeman and Clark Kent's junkyard confrontation.  It does however lack the quality and caliber of John Williams music to the original film and there are times where the score does feel like it belongs more to a TV film than a cinematic one but overall its a good effort from Thorne.

The film also features additional tracks by Italian composer and songwriter Giorgio Moroder however they are sparsely used in the film but one of them features in the scene where Gus gets drunk with Brad at the Webscoe office in Smallville.  Moroder's music is nothing special but it doesn't really detract from the film either and it is so rarely used its almost pointless that it was included but it still has its own charm even if it sounds very dated as it is mainly just 80s synth stuff. 

FLAWS (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!)

As for Superman III's flaws.....yes there are quite a few. 

So, to kick off I think as I said earlier in the review that part of the film's problem is the fact that the tone of it is overly comedic at times and is a bit too heavy handed when it comes to the slapstick.  This is especially notable in the film's opening scene where Lorelei's alluring qualities sparks off a series of accidents that has one onlooker crash into another creating a domino type series of calamities.  Its a really daft opening to the film and it really doesn't belong to the Superman universe and would be more suited to some goofy comedy.

And this brings me onto another stupid scene where Gus hacks into various computers systems causing chaos everywhere such as people crossing the street only to have the green and red traffic light men symbols fighting each other.  It is about as stupid and as silly as the Superman series got up until that point (well until Superman IV came along that is, which took stupid to a whole new level!) and really have been cut out.

Then there are some plot holes of course and the first one that comes to mind is why didn't Webster put two and two together sooner regarding Gus embezzling Webscoe's money???  And he could have figured this out easy because Gus was given an expenses pay cheque with his name on it, which has the figure of 85,000 dollars also written on it!  So all Webster needed to do is have his staff check the accounts of their employees and they could have found Gus out easy without him unintentionally giving himself away in the first place! 

Another daft one is how would Webster and Vera know that Superman would eventually be able to snap out his evil personae as after he defeats the evil Supe, he flies off to find the video message of Vera saying "So you finally have shown your true colours".  And this makes you wonder, do they know he turned back to being a good guy at this point or not???  It doesn't make much sense as you can know for sure they didn't have any info on just how long the affects of the synthetic kryptonite would last on Superman!  Its not like in that episode of Family Guy where Peter takes a drug that turns him gay, which is revealed by a doctor to have a time limit, so the same can't be said with the effects of the synthetic kryptonite with Superman (well it didn't turn Superman gay for starters!).

I also felt that character wise, Lorelei, Webster's busty blonde nutritionist, was all over the place in terms of her moral compass. I mean one minute she is giving Webster the info he needs to kill Superman by telling him about Kyrptonite and the next minute she is rooting for Superman III when Webster tries to kill him by launching the supercomputer's missiles at him! So, yeah she is a bit of a mixed character to say the least.   

Another thing that bugged me is to do with the scene where Gus turns up at the parade for Superman in Smallville and gives him the synthetic chunk of Kryptonite where Superman feels no ill effects when he takes it. However, isn't it a bit of a stupid idea to try and kill off Superman in front of a FULL CROWD OF PEOPLE??!! Surely it would be better if they could have tried to figure out something else as it is just a bit of high risk idea to try kill off the man of steel in such a public way!

The film also due to some of its deleted scenes being omitted from the theatrical cut also contributes to one or two moments in the film not making sense.  And as a couple of examples there is the scene when Gus gets Brad drunk and Brad says to Gus that his nickname in high school was "the Smallville flash".  And in the next scene after Brad passes out and Gus tries to use the computer but requires another person to insert the key card to do so, he says to the machine "The Philly flash!" which doesn't make sense without having seen the deleted scene itself.

And another example is during the fight between the evil Superman and Clark Kent when the bad Superman goads Clark and Clark says "I can give as good as I get" but prior to that Superman says something to him to provoke that response and again it was omitted from the theatrical release.  And I actually remember seeing the version with these scenes left in years ago on TV and with that they made alot more sense than without.  So for me that highlights a problem with the theatrical cut itself.

Its also a bit silly how we are lead to believe that they could build Gus's supercomputer could be built from his hastily put together blueprints, which were on loose pieces of paper and even a cigarette packet! Perhaps he drew them up again on a better presentation but if not, its pretty stupid to think that they could work out how to build it from Gus's shoddy blueprints. However, later on in the film, when the Webscoe engineers are assembling the computer, we see they are STILL consulting Gus's rough blueprints that he wrote out himself on the scraps of paper and his old ciggie packet! Its just ridiculous to think, they couldn't have gotten as I said a drafted blueprint to make it easier to work with! 

Lastly I thought it was a bit stupid as to how the supercomputer did NOT know that the container of acid Superman brought back from the plant would be dangerous?!  It is a supercomputer after all with I'd imagine a genius computerised intellect and you even see it analyse the contents of the container but its analysis reads "Danger level: ZERO" but surely it must know that acid IS dangerous!  Also I find it silly that even a small container of acid could cause such a massive amount of damage to a giant supercomputer, which is the size of a very big house!  But hey it is just a plot device used to kill off the machine after all. 

In reality however, just add further detail, the production crew used a mixture of pyrotechnics, miniature models and practical effects (according to Google AI) to destroy the supercomputer as opposed to just a small container of acid. 

Anyways that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So to sum up Superman III for me is an underrated sequel, which got a lot of unfair negative criticism  as well as for the casting of Richard Pryor but I think the film is a lot better than its given credit for as even today its get's alot of hate from fans.  And by no means do I think the casting of Pryor hurts the film in anyway and his comedic skills are used well in the film.  The rest of the cast also perform very well particularly Reeve, Vaughan and O'Toole.   

It also nicely develops Clark's character and shows him to be more assertive and confident than before and Reeve and O'Toole both share a nice chemistry together onscreen.  In fact the American film critic, Roger Ebert in his review at the time said the film was missing a big love story like Superman's romance with Lois.  But for me I think Clark's romance with Lana is a subtler one which doesn't feature stupid moments like that crap "Can you read my mind?" song in the original film when Superman flies Lois over Metropolis.

The film also features some excellent optical effects even if some of them look better than others but I for one still enjoy watching the missile attack scene on Superman, which is one of the film's highlights.  Also the effect of Superman lifting the frozen lake up and flying it over the chemical plant is another impressive special effect worth mentioning as well. The film's 39 million dollar budget certainly shows well on the screen and it stands head and shoulders over Superman IV's cheap looking effects.

So, yeah OK it does have some flaws as I mentioned above and it has its fair share of comedic slapstick, which is a bit out of place for a Superman film and it does harm the film's credibility.  However if you are willing to forgive all that then there is still a lot to enjoy in Superman III and I personally think its a film that deserves a second look.

So, I will give Superman III a rating of:

8 out of 10

So, that's it for this one guys and I'll be back soon with another post.

Until then its bye for now! 

Superman IV: The Quest For Peace Review (Revisited) "Um no pain, no gain??!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, its time for another post and this will be a revisit again but with a slight difference, rather than covering a good quality film (or game!) I'll be taking a look at a film that has been much maligned over the years.  So, the film in question is Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, which was Christopher Reeve's swansong in the role but it ended on a critical and commerical low point for him.  

However, given that the film is almost 40 years old, I have to ask: is it as bad as they say it is????  Well let's dawn the red cape and find out...

And yep for what its worth there will be as usual some...

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!   

STORY

Right OK so a bit about the plot which begins with Superman (Christopher Reeve) saving a Russian astronaut (or cosmonaut if you like) who falls deep into space as well as the cosmonauts ship which was drifting off course.  Superman then returns to Smallville and as Clerk Kent visits his adopted parents farm, who have now both passed away.  Clark while in the farm's barn finds his green Kryptonite crystal which he hid in the capsule that brought him to Earth.  Clark is then visited by a mall developer who wants to buy out the farm but he refuses to sell and he makes his way back to Metropolis.  On returning to the Daily planet newspaper offices, Clark learns that the paper has gone bankrupt and has now been taken over by a tabloid tycoon, David Warfield (Sam Wanamaker) who fires the current editor, Perry White (Jackie Cooper) and replaces him with his daughter Lacy (Mariel Hemingway).

Not long after there is news that the United States and the Soviet Union may engage in nuclear war leaving Clark in turmoil over how much Superman should intervene and he receives a letter from a concerned schoolboy, which prompts Superman to travel to the fortress of solitude to discuss it with the spirit of his Kryptonian elders.  However they suggest Superman leave the people of Earth to resolve the situation themselves or travel that he travel to and settle on another world where war is not an issue.  

Clark then invites his fellow reporter Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) around to his apartment where he takes her outside and walks off the roof with her, changing into Superman he takes her for a flight and afterward asks what he should do and Lois says he should do what feels right.  Then in order to maintain his secret identity from Lois, Superman kisses her to erase her memory of their meeting.  Afterward Superman then attends the United Nations and gives a speech where he announces he will rid the world of all nuclear weapons.  This leads to various nations firing their nuclear weapons into space where Superman grabs them and places them in a giant net and then hurls them into the sun.

In the meantime, criminal mastermind, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) breaks out of prison with the help of his nephew Lenny (John Cryer) and he returns to Metropolis where Luthor breaks into a museum exhibit containing a strand of Superman's hair, which he steals.  Luthor then uses the hair to create a genetic matrix which he discreetly attaches to a test nuclear missile which is launched into space and is intercepted by Superman who throws it into the sun.  However the result of the explosion causes the birth of nuclear man (Mark Pillow) a superhuman who flies back to Earth under the control of Luthor, he arrives at Luthor's hideout.  

Luthor however also reveals that Nuclear man is powered by solar polar and when he is in the shade he will be disabled.  Luthor then lures Superman into meeting his creation where Superman engages in a fierce fight with the supervillain which includes them fighting at the great wall of China and later in New York where Nuclear man throws the Statue of Liberty toward the ground, which is saved by Superman.  However Nuclear man then scratches Superman with his radioactive claws which weakens him and falls ill with radiation sickness as Nuclear man kicks Superman away, the superhero loses his cape.

Lois later turns up at Clark's apartment where she finds him not well from the effects of the radiation and having salvaged Superman's cape, she gives it to Clark.  Clark then manages to use the kyrptonite crystal to revive himself and he soon returns as Superman where he confronts Nuclear man, who has a crush on Lacy and threatens mayhem if he is not introduced to her and this leads into their final confrontation.....

THOUGHTS

There is not any doubt that Superman IV: The quest for peace is easily the weakest of all the original Superman films as it is poorly put together and it clearly lacks the budget the previous films had it as its special effects look very cheap and its story is mediocre at best.  The film also suffered from the fact that the producers from the first three films, Alexander and Ilya Salkind felt the series had ran its course, which left the rights being sold to Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus of the company, Cannon films and apparently during shooting they had run out of money with the film itself having a meagre budget of $17 million.  

Regardless of that though despite its faults the film itself is still strangely enjoyable even if it is pretty mediocre it still has some entertaining moments (such as Superman fight scenes with Nuclear man and Clark's ducking and diving between being Superman and being interviewed as Supe for Lois and being on a date with Lacy as Clark).
 
PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES 

Which brings me onto the performances which are not bad but a bit of a mixed bag.

Starting with Christopher Reeve who does very well again in his role as Superman/Clark Kent but because the material he has been given is so poor it hampers his performance rather than help it.  

Still there are some good moments in Reeve's performance such as the scene where Lois shows Clark at the Daily planet, the paper headline of Superman allegedly saying to the concerned school boy, Jeremy, "Superman says drop dead kid!".  And in the scene it leaves Clark in a worried state as he walks off over to the windows to contemplate his next move.  Then there are some laughable but enjoyable moments all the same such as the one where Superman saves a Metropolis subway train from being derailed after the driver takes ill.  And afterward Superman says to the subway crowds "I would like our civilians to know that our subway system is still the most safe and reliable form of transportation".

Then there is the scene where Superman addresses the United nations and he says to the audience "So I have decided, effective immediately, that I am going to rid the world of all nuclear weapons" leaving the audience cheering.  Reeve also occassionally has the odd fun moment as Clark as well such as the scene at the gym where Clark does a workout with Lacy who fancies Clark.  And in the scene Clark meets an annoying gym worker who teases him and at the end of the scene Clark easily lifts and accidentally throws some heavy weights at the worker and Clark says "Ummm, no pain no gain???".  

Another amusing but silly scene comes when Superman takes a flight with Lois after revealing his identity to her and he says to her "Sometimes I don't know what I'm supposed to do" and Lois tells him "You'll do the right thing, you always have" and they kiss afterward which erases Lois's memory of their meeting.

Then there are the laughable scenes where Superman fights with Nuclear man and the funniest moment comes (SPOILER FOR WHAT ITS WORTH!!) when Superman moves the moon over the sun to neutralise Nuclear man's powers and he rescues Lacy and takes her back to Earth and later takes Nuclear man and deposists him in an nuclear power plant.  And last of all there is Superman's last scene where (SPOILER AGAIN!!!) he addresses the people of Earth and says " And there will be peace. There will be peace when the people of the world, want it so badly, that their governments will have no choice but to give it to them".  Great speech, Supe!!

Gene Hackman next gives a rather average performance by his high standards but again it boils down to his character of Lex Luthor being given virtually nothing to work with and he doesn't even have much in the way of memorable dialogue either.  

Hackman however still has some amusing moments such as the scene Luthor breaks into the museum exhibit of Supeman's hair holding a 1000lb weight and he does with great ease and just uses a hedge clipper to cut it!  Then there is the scene where Luthor insults his nephew by speaking of Nuclear man's weakness of relying on solar energy to function "He gets his energy from the sun. Without it, he's like you at night - useless!".  And lastly there is the scene where Luthor introduces Superman to Nuclear man and he drinks a toast to him "To a nice a guy, who is about to finish last!".

Margot Kidder also is given a pretty rough deal here in terms of role as she (like everyone else really!) isn't given much to work with here and as such she delivers a pretty unnatural feeling performance as Lois Lane.  However Margot still has the odd nice moment such as the scene where Lois takes a flight with Superman and afterward Superman says to her how sometimes he doesn't know what to do and Lois reassures "You'll figure it out, you always do".  And then there is the scene where Superman addresses the United nations and Lacy who is with her says "I wonder what he'll say" and Lois says (rather cheesily!) "Something wonderful!".

Jon Cryer however is a weak link in the cast as he is for the most part quite annoying in his role as Lenny Luthor, Lex's nephew who breaks Lex out of jail.  Cryer doesn't really have any good scenes as such although he does get the odd cheesily amusing line such as the scene where Lex having stolen Superman's hair "You know what I can do with a single strand of Superman's hair?" and Lenny replies "You can make a toupee that flies!".  Yeah pretty crappy but still vaguely amusing.  Mariel Hemingway actually on the other hand does do fairly well in her role as Lacy, who fancies Clark Kent and later is very briefly taken hostage by Nuclear man who takes a fancy to her but she also doesn't have much in the way of salvagable dialogue.

As for the Superman regulars, Mark McClure is largely sidelined as Jimmy Olsen, the Daily planet photographer and given nothing to work with here at all which is a shame given that McClure has always been a solid performer in the series.  The same also goes for Jackie Cooper who is for the most part replaced in the film by Sam Wanamaker who himself fails to make any kind of decent impression here in the film.  And its a pity in a way that they bothered to include the character of David Warfield and not just keep Perry White as the editor of the DP.

Its also kind of worth noting that the film actually even features an early performance from Jim Broadbent as a goon who briefly works for Luthor and there is also even a performance William Hootkins (who was also in Star Wars and Batman, bit of a comedown then here!).  However neither as these performances makes much of an impression not that they were able to. 

And last of all there is Mark Pillow as Nuclear man and well... what can you say about him????  It has to be said that Pillow is easily the weakest actor in the film and his villain is entirely forgettable and somewhat useless (but more on that soon!).  And Pillow's actual voice (as far as I know) isn't even used as Gene Hackman does the voice for Pillow so that makes you wonder was Pillow such as naff actor he needed a great one to voice him???  Whatever the case might have been it doesn't change that Pillow fails to make any kind of impact with his performance (such as it is).

And what is actually quite ironic is that the deleted scenes from the film actually include an alternate version of Nuclear man (played pricelessly by Clive Mantle) in which N-man is just a basic imbecile who is grown at Luthor's place and is created with a pot pan over his genitals!  And later we see Nuclear man go to a nightclub and afterward confront Superman in a back alley.  And these scenes themselves are nothing short of hilarious and they may even have been an improvement on Pillow's nuclear man for all we know!  It might have made the film even less serious to take than it already wasn't but it would have made for a good laugh!

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC

As for the film's director, Sidney J. Furie.... well, well, well poor guy, that is all I can say!  Furie, who actually once directed solid, credible films such as The Ipcress File has been reduced here to this as he has morely mis-directed the film than directed it!  Furie however might not be entirely at fault as he had to deal with such obstacles as budget restrictions and also the film's producers, Golan and Golbus who actually had even refused to let Furie shoot the United Nations scene in New York and instead he had to film it in a car park in Milton Keynes!  So Furie's efforts most likely were nullified by his producers and ultimaltey and rather unfortunately he was forced to direct the film with one hand tied behind his back, which is a pity because with a bigger budget and better producers who knows???

As for the music well the score was written by Alexander Courage, who of course still utilised John William's themes which remain one of the better things about the film although Courage's own contributions are nothing special however they aren't horribly offensive either to the film.  So for the most part Courage doesn't do any big disservice to the franchise and his score remains one of the film's more modestly respectable aspects.

FLAWS

As for flaws.....can Superman IV possibly have any????  Hmmmmmmmmmm.  Yeahhh!  Yes it can.  So this might be quite a big section.

OK well yep it has its flaws and for starters one of the main flaws of the film comes down to the fact that it simply does not have a good story and the story itself is not cohesive and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense either!  The film also as I previously said has an unnatural and unrealistic feeling to it that even the previous Superman films sort of had (well the first one did anyway!) but here the series has become an awful parody of itself and you can no longer really take it or any the characters seriously.  The film is also riddled with plot holes but I will get to some of them in a bit.

Another big problem with the film also comes from its fairly modest budget (17 million dollars, which is more than I thought!) and the film's less than convincing special effects (supervised by John Evans) as they keep using some obvious and awful looking green screen for Superman's flying scenes (and even Nuclear man's for that matter).  And in the first three films you really could believe a man could fly but here you just can't as the effects are so cheap looking and obvious!  And another perfect example of the naffness of the effects comes in the scene where Superman rebuilds the great wall of China with his X-ray vision after Nuclear destroys part of it but from the comic books Superman had no such power at all!

Then there is Nuclear himself who remains one of the dumbest and most boring of supervillains who makes no impression whatsoever on the film or on the franchise.  And as a villain he doesn't make much sense either because as soon as he is born he is ready to disobey his creator in Lex Luthor and later on he develops a crush on Lacy but its not even remotely obvious that is at first the case as he just appears to look at her picture in the paper and that's it!  And before we know it Nuclear man is intent on creating mass destruction if he doesn't get introduced to Lacy by Superman!  So at the end of it all Nuclear man isn't after world domination, nope instead he is after a date!  Although it has to be said that Lacy might not survive Nuclear man if he goes nuclear (sorry!).

And another gaping plot hole comes from Superman's decision to rid the planet of all nuclear weapons.  Yeah OK great plan and a great gesture to humankind.....but are we supposed to believe that while the superpowers (no pun intended!) of the USA and the Soviet Union are supposed to be on the brink of nuclear war against each other, are they suddenly and willingly going to give up their nuclear weapons without a hint of protest??!!  It just seems a tad stupid to think that these governments will instantly give up their nuclear deterrents just because Superman says so!  But in the film they do just that and before we know we see Superman hurl all the nuclear weapons of the world into the sun!

And despite Superman's best efforts even he at the end of the film decides that he was only partly successful in banishing the nuclear weapons but again this is never really clearly explained as to why he wasn't fully successful he just announces in his speech the people of the world will have peace when they wanted bad enough!  So in effect his campaign to rid the planet of all nuclear weapons ultimately fails and its a pretty half-assed subplot anyway since after the two scenes of Superman throwing nuclear weapons into the sun that's the last we hear of it!

I also have to say the amount of nuclear weapons we see captured in a large net are a pretty modest amount and surely there were WAY more nukes on Earth than the ones that Supe captured and catapulted into the sun! So, yeah, I don't quite buy that was supposed to be ALL the nuclear weapons in the world!

It also has to be said that the characters of David Warfield and Lucy Warfield are for the most part are pointless as well to the film as all they do (or David does) is try and bring down the Daily planet by printing any old rubbish thinking that this will increase the paper's circulation when it probably will have the opposite effect!  Lucy perhaps isn't quite as pointless however as she does at least serve as a romantic subplot for Clark and then she quickly becomes the object of Nuclear man's affections (well for about five minutes anyway!) but you get the feeling the film certainly didn't need these characters.  The same also goes for Lenny Luthor, Lex's nephew who breaks him out of jail but his character is just an annoying knob and offers nothing interesting to the film. 

Then we get to yet another ridiculous flaw in the film which is the scene where Nuclear man kidnaps Lacy and flies her to the moon to finish off his battle with Superman, yet somehow Lacy IS ABLE TO BREATH IN OUTER SPACE!!!  Yep that's right, the director and writers of this film decided to defy any kind of logic and any common sense regarding basic scientific principles and have this woman be able to breath freely without a spacesuit or any other apparutus that could aid this!  Well it does again show just how well put together and thought out the story is!  Ahem!!  However to be fair to the movie in actuality it is possible for a human being to breathe in the hard vaccum of space unprotected but albeit only for a very short amount of time.        

And last of all it has to be said that on more than one occassion that Clark Kent is spotted without his glasses on in the film, which basically means his identity will be blown to anyone who eyeballs him!  This is especially noticeable in the scene where Lacy at the gym takes off Clark's glasses briefly and he quickly insists he put them back on but at that moment its a bit surprising that Lacy suddenly doesn't say "Wow you look alot like Superman!".

And lastly of all further to this point then there is of course the daft scene where Clark takes a walk off his apartment building roof along with Lois and he changes into Superman and catches her and he is still wearing his glasses and Lois quickly takes them and sticks them over the built-in belt on her dress!  And given all the flying they do its amazing that these glasses never fall off Lois's dress into the nether leaving Clark boned without his glasses!  But nope she manages to hold onto them and gives them back to Superman safe and sound (or he takes them after he uses his convenient memory erasing kiss on her!).

Anyway that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So to sum up Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is a below average film for the most part, its poorly written and directed, the acting is pretty mediocre and the special effects are simply crap and the film is devoid of any interesting supporting characters or anything resembling a proper plot.  Yet miraculously somehow it manages to be oddly enjoyable and Reeve just about does what he can to make his performance likeable enough and at least he does provide the film with its a very few weighty and dramatic moments.

And just maybe the film could have been something better if it had a bigger budget and better backing from its producers (or indeed better producers!) not to mention a better script and story.  And if you are in the right mood Superman IV is even possibly a film you might enjoy and could file under the "its so bad its good" category.  But ultimately it is considered the worst film of the franchise with good reason as it is a pretty naff movie overall.  

So, I will rate Superman IV:

5.5 out of 10 

So, that's it for now and I'll be back with another review soon. 

Until then its bye for now! 

Beverly Hills Cop Review (Revisited Part 2) "Way to go, you're some kind of cop, you know that?!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, as its now April, I've been busy with other stuff but figured I would finally do another post and this will be yet another revisit (sorry again!) of a previous review, which will be on the comedy action film, Beverly Hills Cop starring Eddie Murphy.

So, with this film now 42 years old, let's take a look and see how it fairs...

And the usual warning is coming... 

PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD!!

STORY

So the film begins with the main character, Axel Foley (Murphy) who is a cocky but talented detective with the Detroit police force.  Foley goes undercover on a sting operation involving a cigarette smuggling operation, which turns sour when a couple of cops unwittingly come across Foley trying to deal with the smugglers.  This then leads the smugglers to run off, with one of them driving the truck away (with Axel in the back hanging on for dear or cheap life!) and the driver causes alot of damage in the city, who ditches the truck then runs off.  

Foley back at the station faces his boss, Inspector Todd (Gil Hill) who is angered by his operation which was unauthorised and he warns Axel if he disregards police procedure again he will be fired.  Axel later returns back to his apartment where he finds his best friend Michael Tandino (James Russo) is there who was previously serving time, but after his release went to Beverly Hills where he worked as a security guard, a job he got through a mutual friend, Jenny Summers (Lisa Eilbacher).  

After they go out to a local bar and head back to Axel's apartment, Axel is knocked out by two men who then question Tandino, who had stolen some bearer bonds from the factory where he worked, then is killed by one of the men, Zack (Jonathan Banks). Afterwards Axel insists on getting involved in the case but Todd refuses to let him due to his close ties with Tandino.  Axel then decides he wants to go on vacation, which he uses as an excuse to go to Beverly Hills and try and solve the crime himself.  

In Beverly Hills, Axel meets up with Jenny who tells him she hired Tandino to work for Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff) a wealthy local art dealer.  Axel then goes to meet Maitland at his office, by barging in, he tries to question him but then Maitland has his bodyguards throw him out and they launch Axel through entrance windows.  Axel is then arrested by two police officers for a charge of disturbing the peace and taken to the police station where he meets Sergeant Taggart (John Ashton), Detective Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and their senior officer Lieutenant Bogomil (Ronny Cox).  

Bogomil asks what Axel is doing in Beverly Hills and also that he has spoken with Inspector Todd who said if he finds out he has been investigating the Tandino murder, he will be brought up on charges and fired, but Axel simply insists he is on vacation.  Bogomil then has Taggart and Rosewood follow Axel's movements, however Axel manages to evade them using different methods.  Axel then sneaks into one of Maitland's warehouses where he snoops around and finds information that reveals most of Maitland's crates were not passed through customs. 

After this Axel joins with Taggart and Rosewood and reluctantly persuades to come along to a strip bar where Axel spots two men whom he foils from committing a robbery.  Axel is taken back to the police station where he tries to big up Taggart and Rosewood, who reclutantly tell Bogomil that Axel deserves credit for the arrest, but Bogomil then decides to take them both off the case and put two of his other staff on tagging Axel's movements.  

The next day Axel manages to evade Bogomil's backup cops, and he meets with Maitland at a country club where he confronts him and attacks Maitland's bodyguard, Zack, only to be arrested again.  Back at the police station Bogomil insists why Axel keeps bothering Maitland and Axel tells him about Tandino and how he thinks Maitland had him killed and what he has learned so far.  Bogomil while sympathetic is then ordered by his police chief Hubbard (Steven Elliott) to escort Axel off the building and ensure that he leaves Beverly Hills.  

On leaving however Axel persuades Rosewood to take him to one of Maitland's warehouses so he can expose the evidence of Maitland's smuggling, but when he get's Maitland's men are waiting for him, and from here Axel needs to find a way to get even for his friend's murder...

THOUGHTS

Beverly Hills Cop was a big commercial hit on its release and its easy to see why as it is still a very enjoyable action comedy, and it was also one of the early buddy buddy cop films.  And its a perfect vehicle for Eddie Murphy's comedic skills as the cocky Axel Foley where he uses his improvisation in pretending to be someone in order to get what needs, and he is undoubtedly the film's star as he get's plenty of comic highlights. 

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section contains spoilers and strong language!) 

So, as for the performances, they are pretty good overall here.

Starting with Eddie Murphy, who is perfect in his role as Axel Foley, the young detective from Detroit, who investigates the murder of his friend out in Beverly Hills. Murphy himself actually was a replacement for Sylvester Stallone, who was originally going to be cast in the role as Axel but he dropped out two weeks into production and Murphy was cast instead.   

And Muprhy's notable scenes include the one where Axel attempts to check into an expensive hotel but he is told they are fully booked and he pretends he is a journalist writing a story on Michael Jackson for Rolling Stone magazine.  And he angrily says to the desk clerk "Don't you think I know what is going on here, miss? I'm small reporter who is in town to do an exclusive interview with Michael Jackson for Rolling Stone Magazine, which is going to get picked up all over the world. But I was going to call the story Michael Jackson can sit on top of the world, as long as he doesn't sit in the Beverly Palms Hotel because there are no niggers allowed in there!". The manager then comes along and puts Axel at ease by telling him there has been a last minute cancelation and he gives him a room key and Axel says "Thank you, if Michael calls tell him I'm here".

Then there is the scene where Axel is throwing out of Maitland's office and quite literally through a window. So, in the scene, Maitland orders his men to escort Axel to the door and they pick him up and Axel angrily shouts "GET THE FUCK OFF ME, MAN!!! GET OFF ME!!". So, as they go down in the elevator, they throw him through the window and almost immediately a police car turns up and the officers tell him to get up. Axel says "Did you see this shit?! I can describe ALL of them!". One of the police officers tells him to put his hands on the car bonnet, so Axel does and they find his gun and one of the cops tells him "Sir, you are under arrest, you have the right to remain silent!" and Axel asks "So, what's the charge?" and the cop says "Possession of a weapon and disturbing the peace". Axel then shouts "Disturbing the peace?! I got thrown out of a window! What's the charge for getting thrown out of a moving car, huh?!! Jailwalking?!! This is bullshit!!".

Then we have the scene where Axel in a cell at the Beverly hills police department, is beckoned by one of the officers to leave the cell. So, Axel says to him "Its about time, I thought you guys forgot about me. I never been in a cell with a phone it. Can I stay? As I ordered some pizza!" but the cop beckons him again and Axel get's up and leaves with him and he says to himself "Somebody'll eat it".

Another good scene is when Axel sniffs around Maitland's warehouse and pretends to be a customs officer to get information. So, Axel spots a security guard as he looks around and says to him "How you doin?! You got a match?" and the guard says "There's no smoking here" and Axel says "Its Ok. I'm going to smoke it outside" and the guard gives him a match. Axel then asks "Are you security here?" and the guard says "Yeah" and Axel asks "Do you have a supervisor?" and the guard asks "What's the problem?" and Axel suddenly flashes his badge and angrily says "You're the fuckin problem, go get your supervisor now! NOW!!" and the guard nervously says "OK" and walks off.

Then there is the next scene where Axel has the warehouse supervisor's men checks their files for information relating to Maitland's manifests. So, in the scene one of the staff asks Axel "You got a warrant for this?" and Axel irritated says to him "You know you have a very big mouth, sir. Is that your porsche outside? I bet that's yours porsche outside! How would you like the IRS to come down here and take your car and crawl up your fuckin ass with microscope?! I seen them do it and it ain't a pretty sight!". 

Another one of Murphy's highlights is the "supercop" scene where he tries to tell Bogomil how great Taggart and Rosewood are and how they foiled the robbery at the strip bar and he says "I don't know what you teach these fellows, as its like a sixth sense, and all that's missing from them are capes!". Taggart how tells the truth to Bogomil and says that Axel deserves the credit for the arrest and Bogomil says to Axel "Detective Foley, I respect your assistance but in future if you want to practice law enforcement, I suggest you do it in Detroit". Axel then nods and says "I understand, sir and I'm sorry. But I want you to know the supercop story was working, and you guys just messed it up" and Bogomil can't help but smile at this. Axel then says as he leaves "I'm trying to figure you guys out but I haven't yet, you fuck up a perfectly good lie and its alright!".  And if you watch this scene you can clearly see John Ashton as Taggart, trying not to laugh.  

Also the moment where he walks into Maitland's country club and he pretends to be gay infront of the maitre'd, essentially mimicing Serge from Maitland's gallery. So, Axel in a camp voice says to the maitre'd "I have to talk to Victor, its very important" and the maitre'd says "Well, why do you tell me the message and I'll give to him". So, Axel in his camp voices "Well, yeah I guess I can do that. Tell Victor that Ramone, the man Victor saw, tell he had a herpes simplex 10, and he said he better go and check with his physician before things start falling off on the man!".The maitre'd suddenly looks embarrassed and says "Perhaps you better tell him that" and Axel says "You know I think that would be best!" and the maitre'd says "So, do I" and Axel walks off.

Then there is the scene where Axel goes into Maitland's warehouse with Jenny and opens one of the crates to find bags of cocaine hidden under coffee grounds. So, in the scene Axel opens the crate and says to Jenny "This is one that hasn't passed through customs yet" and we see the coffee grounds and Jenny puts her hand in and takes some and sniffs it and says "Coffee?!" and Axel says "Yeah, coffee ontop" and pulls out a bag of cocaine and quickly tastes a little and says "This ain't sugar. Go get Rosewood" but then they are surrounded by Maitland's men at gunpoint and one of them says to Axel "Welcome to the party!". And as Maitland arrives, Axel warns him as Jenny is taken captive "If something happens to her..." and Maitland says "I'm all ears" and Axel seriously says "I'll kill you" and Maitland smiles and says "Really? That would be a neat trick!".

And last of all is the final scene of the film, where Axel meets with Taggart and Rosewood outside the hotel he was staying at and Axel offers them to go for a drink. So, in the scene Axel says to them "I was figuring I would have drink before leaving the city" and Taggart smiles and says "Yeah, we kind of figured you would" and Rosewood says "Oh, I don't think so, Axel, we're still on duty" and Taggart suprisingly says "Oh, well one drink isn't going to kill us, Billy" and Axel delighted says "Listen to Taggart, Rosewood! One drink is not gonna kill us!". Axel then says to them "Hey, if you get lost just follow my lead OK?" and Axel says "I know the perfect place, you'll love it! Trust me!" and he gives a furtive wink and it freezes. 

The supporting cast are also excellent, especially the John Ashton and Judge Reinhold as Taggart and Rosewood and they make for a very amusing comic double act as the two bumbling cops. Both actors would reprise their roles in the sequel Beverly Hills Cop 2 and Axel F (the latest Netflix entry) but sadly Ashton passed away from cancer in 2024, not long after the release of Axel F. 

And Ashton's first scene is worth a mention as Taggart and Rosewood question Axel at the station, so Taggart asks Axel "Why didn't you identify yourself as a policeman when we first arrested you?" and Axel says "Because I was minding my own business. Where the fuck do you guys get off at arresting someone for being thrown out of a window?". Taggart then says "We havesix witnesses say, you went in tore up the place and jumped out the window!" and Axel asks "And you guys believe that? What the fuck are you? Cops or doormen?!". Taggart then angrily says "We're more likely to believe an important local business, then some foul mouth jerk from out of town!" and Axel says "Foul mouth?? Fuck you man!".  Taggart now angry stands up and warns Axel "You watch your mouth!" and Axel then warily stands up and says "Look do you want to square off with me with some bullshit and start some static?" and Axel pushes him and Taggart says "Don't push me!" and Axel pushes him back and says "Fuck you man!" and Taggart punches him in the stomach. Then Bogomill calls Taggart into his office and Taggart soon returns to Axel and awkwardly says "Sir, I apologise for striking you, I have no excuse". 

Then there is the scene where Taggart and Rosewood tail Axel but do it not so subtly as he is onto them and Axel distracts them by sending down a supper from the hotel to their car. So, the waiter from the hotel with the dish says to them "Compliments of Axel Foley" and Rosewood surprised asks "Foley?! How did he know we were here?" and Taggart says "Becuase I let you drive!".

One of their funniest scenes is where Rosewood and Taggart stakeout waiting for Axel in their car and Rosewood reads aloud from a newspaper article and says "Wow! It says here by the time the average man is 50, he will have five pounds of undigested meat in his bowels" and Taggart angrily says "Why are you telling me this?  What makes you think I have any interest in that at all?" and Rosewood replies "Well you eat alot of red meat!". This is then followed by the scene where Rosewood says to Taggart "You know I've noticed you've been drinking a lot of coffee lately. Well, I think that's why you have a hard time relaxing" and Taggart shakes his head.  

Then there is the scene where Rosewood drives Axel to the city limits but Axel tries to persuade him to go to Maitland's warehouse to nail their illegal shipment. So, in the scene Rosewood asks Axel "Why didn't you tell Bogomil about this shipment?" and Axel says "Bogomil does everything by the book, I'm starting to think everyone in this town is a goddamn robot! This thing is very personal to me". Rosewood then shakes his head and says "All I had to do was drive you out of town, now Im gonna screw that up too!" and he sighs and says "Oh boy!" and Axel says "Billy, I love you! I just fallen in love with you!".

Also later on during the climactic fight scene at Maitland's house, Rosewood holds up his badge to Maitland's guards and shouts "Police you're all under arrest!!" and they open fire at him and Taggart admonishes him and says "You do that again, I'll shoot you myself!".  This is then followed by the funny moment Rosewood and Taggart at Maitland's house hide behind some plants from the gunfire and Rosewood says this reminds him of the climax of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Taggart looks at him wearliy saying "Billy, I'm gonna make you pay for this!".

Then this is followed by the scene where the Beverly hills police surround the area and point their guns at the remaining henchmen of Maitland. So, Billy takes his moment and holds up his badge and shouts out "Police you are all under arrest!! Put down your weapons infront of you and take two steps back and put your hands up!!!" and the henchman comply. Taggart then looks on impressed and says to Rosewood "Very good" and Rosewood pleased with himself says "Great!".

Steven Berkoff is also very good as Victor Maitland, the film's main antagonist (or bad guy) and he plays Maitland with a smarmy and transparent deviousness and its clear from the get go that he is dirty.  

Berkoff has a few scenes worth mentioning starting with his first one where Axel barges into Maitland's office. So, Maitland sees Axel and asks "Who let you in here?" and Axel says "I let myself in. I cam here to ask you some questions about Michael Tandino" and Matiland and his bodyguard, Zack look tense for a moment. So, Maitland hangs up his call and asks "And what may I ask is your interest in Mr Tandino?" and Axel says "He was a friend of mine, he visited me in Detroit and a few hours later somebody killed him" and Maitland shocked says "Oh my God! That's terrible!" and Axel says "Its fucked up". So, Maitland asks "And what is it you want to know?" and Axel asks "He worked for you , didn't he?" and Maitland "Yes he did. This is terrible news". Axel then asks "Exactly why did Mikey do for you here?" and Maitland asks "I'm sorry, I don't know your name" and Axel says "My name is Foley" and Maitland says "Well, Mr Foley, I don't mean to sound rude but I think this is something for the police in Detroit to take care of" and he hits a buzzer on his desk and some mean suddenly enter. Maitland then says to his men "Could you escort Mr Foley to the door?" and they grab Axel off his feet and drag him out as Axel shouts "GET THE FUCK OFF ME! GET OFF!". 

Then there is the scene when Axel confronts him at Maitland's country club and Axel says to him "Hi, Victor, I'm back". Zack then get's up and warns him "Why don't you get the hell out of here, cuz!" and Axel says "Keep the fuck away from me, man!" and Victor tries to hit him and Axel throws him over a buffet table. Axel then says to Victor "That's very good, Victor. Can he sit down and roll over and all that shit too?". Maitland then asks "What do you want?" and Axel says "I want to talk to you, last time I didn't get a chance to talk to you" Maitland angrily says "I have nothing to say to you" and Axel says That's cool, I'll do all the talking". 

Axel then sits next to Maitland and says "This is a real nice club, Victor, real nice" and Maitland says "That's good, I must make you a member". Axel then says "Look, Victor, I know you're into some crooked shit and I have a pretty good you had Mikey killed but when I find out for sure, I'm gonna fuck you up real bad". So, Matiland calmly threatens Axel "Now listen to me my tough little friend. I don't know from under which stone you crawled or where you get these ridiculous ideas about me, but it seems painfully obvious to me you don't have the slightest fucking idea who you are dealing with!  Now here's my advice to you, go back to your little rock in Detroit before you get sqaushed, OK?". The police then come in and handcuff Axel again and Axel says "Gotta go now, Vic" as he is cuffed and he looks at Maitland and says "Catch you later, Vic!" and Maitland says "I can't wait!".

And last of all is the scene where Axel and Jenny are captured by Maitland's men at his warehouse and Maitland looks at Jenny and says to her "Jeanette, I can't tell you how disappointed I am to see you here" and Jenny tries to explain "Victor..." and he shouts "SHUT UP!! I don't want to hear it". Jenny then nervously asks of Axel "What are you going to do with him?" and Maitland threatens her "I think you should be more worried about what we're going to do with you". Then after she is taken away, Axel warns Maitland "If something happens to her..." and Maitland sarcastically says "I'm all ears" and Axel says to him "I'll kill you" and Maitland smiles "Really? That would be a neat trick". So, as Zack punches Axel in the stomach and slaps his face, Maitland bids farewell "Goodbye, Mr Foley, have a nice day!".   

Elsa Eilbacher does a fine job in her role as Jenny, Axel's friend, who works for Maitland at his gallery and helps him try and find out if Maitland was involved. 

So, Elsa has a few scenes worth mentioning such as the one where Jenny bails Axel out of the police department. So, as they walk to Jenny's car, Axel says to her "It just so happens Mike had some  German bearer bonds on him when he was killed, when I mentioned his name in Maitland's office, that's what he does to try throw me out". Jenny however then says "Axel, you barge into his office like a hoodlum, I mean if I didn't know, I would have thrown you out!". So, they stop at Jenny's car and Axel surprised asks "Is this your car?!" and Jenny sarcastically says "No, in Beverly hills we just take whichever car is closest!".

Then there is the following scene where Jenny drives Axel back to his hotel and she smiles and says "I remember you used to drive that crappy blue Chevy Nova. What are you driving now?" and Axel tells her "The same blue crappy Chevy Nova" and she laughs. Axel then laughs and asks her "Do you think its too late for me to study art?" and Jenny says "Yeah, I do". Jenny then asks Axel "Axel, you don't think Maitland had something to with Mikey getting killed?" and Axel says "No, no, I was just poking around". Jenny then says "Axel, Victor Mailtand is one of the most successful art dealers in the last 10 years" and Axel says sarcastically "I'm impressed" as he looks in the rear view mirror and Jenny asks "What are you looking back there for?" and Axel says "The cops are following us" and Jenny surprised asks "What? Where?" and Axel says "In the back on the right, a biege Ford".  

Bronson Pinchott also makes a noteworthy debut as the camp art gallery employee, Serge, whom Axel shares a scene with when he asks him how much a vase went for in the gallery and on telling him the price "100,000 dollars to a collector" and Axel yells Gget the fuck out of here!" and Serge says "No, I'm serious, I sell it myself!". 

Pinchott's best line is of course when Axel and Rosewood later arrive at the gallery and Axel asks Serge if he will make Rosewood some tea. So, Axel asks Serge "Can make my friend an espersso?" and Serge asks "Do you want it with a little lemon twist" and Rosewood says "Sure if it isn't too much trouble" with Serge replying "No don't be stupid!" and Axel laughs.   

Other performances in the film worthy of note are of course Ronny Cox who is great as Lt Bogomil, who he plays as a decent cop who is very straight down the line and does everything by the book.  

Cox has some good scenes worth of note such as the one where Bogomil says to Axel after Taggart punches Axel, "Detective Foley, do you wish to press charges against this officer for assault?" and Axel asks "This a joke, right? Look where I'm from cops don't file charges against other cops. No, I don't want to do that". Bogomil then asks Axel "What were you doing in Victor Maitland's office?" and Axel says "I'm on vacation, I stopped by his place, looked like a nice place, so I went into the bathroom and next thing I know six guys threw me through the window". 

Bogomil then says to Axel "I just got off the phone with an inspector Todd in Detroit, that name ring a bell?" and Axel awkwardly says "He's my boss". Bogomil then says "He says you are an outstanding young detective, I find that very hard to believe" and Axel says "Its true though". Bogomil then says "He also told me, he nearly had to fire you for insubordination, now I find that very easy to believe". Bogomil then says "I've got a message from Inspector Todd, you want to hear it?" and Axel worried says "I don't think so" and Bogomil says "He says if you are out here investigating the Tandino murder, you needn't bother coming back. He says if you tell us you are investigating this case, you will be brought up on charges and fired! Now one last time, what are you doing?" and Axel shouts "I'm on VACATION!" and Bogomil smiles and says "Vacation! Rosewood could you take Mr Foley over to the courthouse and have him arrange for bail?".

Then there is the scene where Bogomil confronts Axel over why he is perstering Maitland after being arrested at Maitland's private club. So, Bogomil asks "Detective Foley, this is becoming very irritating! Why are you bothering Victor Maitland?". Axel realises he has no choice, tells the truth "I had a friend Michael Tandino, who visited me in Detroit and Maitland had him killed. I can't prove that right now, but when I do, you'll be the first to know" and Bogomil, now sympathetic says "Forget what you can prove, talk to me". Axel then shares what he has learned having spied on Maitland's warehouse and the crates that were being brought in. So, Bogomil then asks "And you witnessed all this?" and Axel says "Everything except the drugs, but I found coffee grounds all over the warehouse" and Taggart asks "You something about this before, what does that mean?" and Bogomil says "Drugs are sometimes packed in coffee grounds, the scent throws off the dogs". 

And lastl there is the scene where Bogomil tells the police chief what happened in the aftermath of the shootout at Matiland's mansion. So, Bogomil makes up a report saying to the chief "And in the course of defending ourselves, we shot several suspects, including Mr Maitland". Chief then asks "You expect me believe that report?" and Bogomil says "That's the report I'm filing, sir" and the chief asks Taggart "Sgt Taggart, can you tell me what really happened?" and after a long pause Taggart says "It happened just the way the Lt said, chief" and everyone smiles. So, the chief says to Bogomil "Well, I guess congratulations are in order, I expect to have that report on my desk tomorrow" and Bogomil says "Yes, sir, first thing".  So, after the chief leaves, Axel smiles and says "You were lying your ass off!" and Alex then asks Bogomil if he could straighten out his mess with Todd in Detroit and Bogomil generously says "I will call him first thing tomorrow" and Axel says "You will?" and Bogomil says "You bet" and Axel says "Thank you so much, sir". 

Gil Hill, who was a real life police detective, does a fine job as Inspector Todd and he is given some great dialogue. Hill also after his retirement from the police service, went on to a political career as a councilman working for Detroit. Hill would later himself die in 2016. 

And Gill has two good scenes, such as the one where Axel and shouts at him after the cigarette bust "You mind telling me where you come off doing some undercover bullshit! You wanna do that, go do it on someone else's precinct!". Axel then says "You wan't to hear my side of the story" and Todd says "What's your fuckin side of the story??!" and Axel pauses and says "Let's hear your side of the story". 

Todd then warns Axel "You know how much this little stunt of yours cost this city" and Axel says "I don't think cost should be the issue, sir, I think the issue should be my blatant disregard for correct procedure". Todd annoyed then says "You damn right, wiseass! The chief just called the deputy chief and deputy just chewed my ass out! You see I don't have any bit of it left, don't you?!". Tood then warns Axel "Look, Axel, you're a good cop and you've got great potential, but I'm tired of taking the heat for your ass. One more time and you're out on the street, do you understand me?" and Axel tries to explain "Look boss..." and Todd says firmly "Do you understand me?!!" and Axel says "Yeah I understand". Axel then says as Todd walks away "Boss, the chief hasn't chewed it all off, you still have a little ass there" and Todd fed up warns Axel "Don't fuck with me, Axel! Not now. Go on, go home". 

Then there is the scene where after Mike is murdered, Todd says to Axel to check himself at the hospital for his head wound after being knocked out. So, Axel asks about the case investigation and says to Todd "Look, I heard Rand is on this case and between the two of us, he doesn't know the time of day. He hasn't left his desk in 12 years" and Todd says "At least he's had 12 years. Just don't do a damn thing, stay out of this!". Axel then angrily says "Look, we're talking about a friend of mine here!" and Todd says "Yes, we are, aren't we? Let's take a closer a look at that friend,  one a hoodlum friend, two a professional hit, three, in a cop's apartment. This whole thing stinks to high heaven!". Axel asks "How do you know it was a professional hit?" and Todd says "Whoever killed you're little friend wasn't worried about your narrow ass. If they were, you'd be inside that meat wagon with him!". Axel then says he has some vacation time and wants to take it and Todd warns him "Stay away from this case, Axel" and Axel says "Look, I've got some vacation time coming to me, I wanna take it, that's all". Todd looks at him and says "Alright, when you're done at the hospital, you're on vacation" and Axel says "Thank you" but Todd warns him "But if you decide to butt into this case, it'll be the longest vacation you'll ever heard of".  

Jonathan Banks is also pretty good at Maitland's main henchman Zack, who kills Axel's friend Tandino.  Banks had a fine line in playing baddies in 80s films at that time, and he does a good job at playing the brutal bad guy.

And I will mention two of Banks's scenes starting with the one where Zack turns up outside Axel's apartment, knocking out Axel, he confronts Tandino over the stolen bonds. So, Zack says to him "Hey, Mikey, where have you been?" and Tandino worried says "What's up, Zack?". So, Zack asks him "What have you got there, Mikey?" and the other henchman searches his pockets and produces the bonds. Tandino then tearfully says "I swear to Christ I was gonna bring the back!" and Zack asks "You got lost?" and Tandino says "No, I figured you'd know I had them, you know?" and Zack slaps him and asks "What am I supposed to do with you, Mikey?". Tandino then says "I'm sorry" and Zack says "Shut up, Mikey" and he puts his arm around him and warns Tandino "I swear if I ever see your face out there again. EVER!" and Tandino says "You won't. I'm sorry!" and Zack says "EVER!" Tandino says "You won't, I'm sorry. I fucked up, I'm sorry". Zack then seemingly takes Tandino's answer but then punches him in the gut and takes out his gun and shoots him.

Then there is the scene where Zack confronts Axel in the warehouse and says to him "Well cuz!" and Axel says "Are you still pissed at me" (as Axel threw him over a buffet table earlier in the film) and he replies "Oh no, no! But I should have taken care of you in Detroit" and he leans into him and says "When I popped your little buddy!". Zack then punches Axel in the stomach twice and slaps his face with contempt as Maitand prepares to leave and says "Goodbye, Mr Foley, have a nice day!".

Last of all is James Russo, who is very good in his role as Michael "Mike" Tandino, Axel's best friend who is killed not long after they reunite in Detroit.

So, as Russo only has a few scenes, I will mention his first one where Axel finds his apartment door wide open and he slowly walks in with his gun ready, so he shouts at he points it in the kitchen only to find Mike helping himself to food out of Axel's fridge. So, Axel laughs as he sees him and goes and gives him a warm hug.

So, in the scene Axel says "How are you doin??! You done breaking into people's houses?" and Mike says "What do you expect with that door?! Why don't you buy a real fuckin lock for that door, huh?!". So, Axel says "Man, look at you! When did you get out?" and Mike says "I got out six months ago" and Axel surprised asks "You got out six months ago and only coming to see me NOW?" and Mike says "Yeah, I got early for good behaviour and figured I'd go to California and get some sun". Mike then takes a package out and puts it on Axel's table and Axel asks "What is it?" and Mike says "10,000 deutschmark" and Axel asks "Deutschmark?" and Mike says "They're bearer bonds, their bonds". Axel then says "I don't even wanna know, man! Its good to see you!" and they hug again and Mike says "I missed you, man! I missed you!".

So, in the next scene Mike and Axel go to a local bar and play pool as Mike tells Axel what he was doing out in California. So, Axel asks "What were you doing out in California?" and Mike says "I was working" and Axel asks "Where?" and Mike says "Beverly Hills" and Axel laughs and says "What were you doing out there?" and Mike says "I was a security guard" and Axel laughs again and says "Who the fuck is gonna hire you as a security guard?" and Mike says "Jenny Summers" which prompt surprise from Axel "Jenny Summers! Shit, I haven't heard from Jenny in years, how is she doing?" and Mike tells him "She's doing great, she's working as a manager out an art gallery, the Hollis Benton art gallery, you ever hear of it?" and Axel sarcastically says "Oh, yeah I buy all my art there!".

Then after this, they go to the bar and by now they are half cut, so Mike grins and says to Axel "I gotta great idea, let's steal a car!" and Axel laughs and says "You kidding?! I'm a fuckin police officer, I can't steal cars no more!". So, Mike reminisces when Axel stole a car and they laugh and Axel asks "Hey, why didn't you tell them I was with you when you got caught?" and Mike says "You dunno?" and Axel says "No" and Mike says "You dunno?" and Axel again says "No" and Mike sincerely say "Cos, I love you, man" and he downs his drink and says "One more!". 

DIRECTOR 

Moving onto the direction, the director Martin Brest does a good job here in keeping the comedy and action moving along nicely at a good pace and the film never really lags as its quite taut time wise in just over 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Brest interestingly enough was previously hired to direct the film WarGames (but he was fired after nearly two weeks due to a personal dispute on the production) and the sets used for the Beverly Hills police department were actually the sets designed for the NORAD base in WarGames and you can see how similar they look.  

Getting onto the film's music score by German composer, Harold Faltermeyer it remains one of the most memorable synthesized scores from the 80s and Axel's theme is instantly recgonisible and overall its a pretty good one. The score itself has plenty of light hearted and atmospheric passages that compliment the comedy and action of the film. The score also features the memorable title track "The Heat Is On" by Glenn Frey, which is instantly recognisble.    

FLAWS

As for the flaws... yes Beverly Hills Cop isn't perfect. 

So, for starters, you could argue at times Axel's character while he is likeable, he does become a bit grating and childish, especially when he takes the mickey out of Bogomil's black police officer for how he says "We're not gonna fall for a banana in the tailpipe".  You just think at that point that you wish Axel would grow up a bit, but perhaps it also highlights his youthful naivety.  

The film naturally as it is an 80s flick also looks quite dated to its period and the fashions are blatantly outrageous, and most of all the cheesy 80s music tracks are pretty duff and cringeworthy to listen to, particularly the track used in the strip bar called, Vanity 6's "Nasty girl" and "Stir it up" by Patty LeBelle.  

I also found it remarkable how quick the cops were to show up when Axel is thrown out the entrance window to Maitland's offices. I mean these cops are there in almost a split second after Axel lies stunned sitting on the ground having been just throw through the window. Not only that, Axel isn't cut or bruised in any way shape or form here, so maybe the windows were made of sugar glass! I suppose in Hollywood films they will of course use breakaway glass, which will reduce the risk of cuts or bruises. 

There are also some daft moments in the film such as Axel going to the bonded warehouse and flashing his badge to the supervisor without of course the guy actually being able to see it. So, naturally the supervisor and the staff have to comply with him although they could have actually asked to see it to try and call his bluff but for the sake of convention they never do it.

I also thought it was a bit silly how in the scene where Axel offers a hotel robe to Taggart, who says to keep it as a soveneir, Axel says "I already have three of them in my bag". However when you say Axel's bag, its way too small to actually fit more than one of those robes in his bag never mind three of them! So, yeah this scene always struck me as being a bit stupid and making no real sense.  

However, in retrospect having watched that scene again, Axel's bag does look bigger than I thought and he does travel light in the film with few changes in clothes, so I guess its somewhat believable. Still, its funny how Taggart doesn't bother with the notion of Axel effectively stealing three of these shower robes from the hotel (either that or the tab covered it!).  

Last of all is the state of Axel's car, it really is a crappy Blue Chevy Nova as Jenny describes at one point but when you see it, its also a dirty mess and it begs the question, has Axel NEVER washed this car? I mean, its just a muddy mess and you think he would at least get it washed at least once since he got it, but nope, it looks really shitty. So, yeah, I guess it highlights Axel's laziness when it comes to these things.  

Anyway that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So, to sum up Beverly Hills Cop is still a very enjoyable watch after 40 years, despite its 80's fashions, it has aged relatively well and its the perfect vehicle for Murphy's comedic skills The performances are also very good with Murphy perfect in his role as the cocky cop Axel Foley and the supporting cast of John Ashton as Taggart, Judge Reinhold as Rosewood and Ronny Cox as Bogomil all excellent. The score by Harold Faltermeyer is also very memorable and sticks with you well after the film is over. There are some minor flaws with the story here and there but that aside, this is still an excellent action comedy film that is still worth watching 40 years later.

So, I will rate Beverly Hills Cop:

9 out of 10 

So, that's it for now and I will be back with another post hopefully soon!

Until then bye for now!