Review: Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Image courtesy of Netflix.

There's a whole lot of '80s nostalgia going around these days, from the surprisingly solid "Top Gun" sequel to an upcoming "Dirty Dancing" follow up. So, when I saw that a fourth "Beverly Hills Cop" film was on the horizon, it came as no surprise.

The thing that is surprising, however, is that "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" - which leans heavily on nostalgia (Glenn Frey, Bob Seger, and the Pointer Sisters are among the flashback needle drops) and is not necessarily doing anything new plot-wise - is pretty fun. In fact, it's the best "Beverly Hills Cop" movie since the original.

The film opens with Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) back in his hometown of Detroit, causing trouble. He follows a group of criminals to a hockey game where they are carrying out a heist. His pursuit in a snowplow leads to a whole mashup of cars and a lot of consternation from Axel's retiring boss (Paul Reiser). 

Axel is estranged from his daughter, Jane (Taylour Paige), a lawyer in Los Angeles who has found herself in trouble after taking on a pro bono case to defend a young man accused of killing a cop. It seems there is proof that the cop found dead in the young man's presence was crooked and there's a group of rogue cops determined to ensure that the case never makes it to trial.

Axel's old pal Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) calls to inform him that his daughter's life may be in danger, prompting Axel to return to Beverly Hills, where he quickly finds himself on the wrong side of the law and being questioned by a cop named Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who as it turns out is Jane's ex-boyfriend. Meanwhile, she's not too happy to see her father.

The film's central villain is a slick cop (Kevin Bacon) whose fancy attire and car is a clue to how corrupt he is. Axel butts heads with him, despite Taggart (John Ashton), another old pal, seeming to have confidence in him. 

Not a whole lot happens that you don't expect - father-daughter angst, a lot of Eddie Murphy wisecracks, and shootouts (one set in the middle of Beverly Hills traffic is quite tense) - but "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" is a fun diversion. 

The original film was a smash hit that launched Murphy into the stratosphere. Its sequels were an example of the law of diminishing returns, so it's a pleasant surprise that this fourth entry is enjoyable and not just an attempt to cash in on nostalgia, although there's a little of that as well. I'm just surprised that this went straight to streaming, rather than opening in theaters.