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!