The
Film: Beverly Hills Cop (1984) BUY IT
The Principals: Murphy. Ashton. Reinhold. Reiser. Banks. Eilbacher. Pinchot. Cox. Brest. BERKOFF.
The Premise: The fish out of water story as told through the eyes of a streetwise and fast talking Detroit cop as he tries to solve a friend’s murder in the different and very strange land of Beverly Hills, California. Also, it was the 80’s.
Is It Good: Not only is it good, it’s very good. Surprisingly so. It’s funny, it’s smart, the jokes still hit, and as far as casting goes this is a near perfect ensemble. Eddie Murphy is at the top of his game as Axel Foley, a character originally intended for Sylvester Stallone. He does a really good job of not playing it too stereotypical when he’s undercover or pretending to be someone he isn’t. There’s a lot of his comedy in aspects of it but unlike in 48 Hours (which is damn near a perfect action flick) there’s a cunning and really bright inner fire to the character that when coupled with Murphy’s charisma and effortless ability to hold a scene together elevates him to being one of the really special action leads.
Two sequels did their best to dull that.
But this movie is untouchable. John Ashton and Judge Reinhold are so good as a pair that they could have their own movie [and still could, both actors are still great] and when coupled with Eddie Murphy and even Ronny Cox they’re even better. Jonathan Banks is making fans for life with his work on Breaking Bad, but it was here that he helped establish his greatness. James Russo in a few minutes does a very good job of establishing a believable longtime relationship with Axel Foley and his fear when the bad guys come for him is real.
Martin Brest is actually a good filmmaker. Screw Gigli. That isn’t an example of his real skill. Midnight Run is legendary. And Meet Joe Black bounced Brad Pitt offscreen.
This is a really good movie. It’s funny. The action is good. The acting is good. And it is a sterling example of a movie from a period in film that oftentimes does not hold its vintage. This does. This is a classic.
Is It Worth A Look: Undoubtedly. I’m afraid to revisit the sequels, but this movie is a delightful timeless treat. Even with Harold Faltermeyer doing his best efforts to sadden you with his 80’s synth work.
Random Anecdotes: Damon Wayans has a five second scene here, a rather memorable one as a gay waiter who provides Axel with the banana he sticks in someone’s tailpipe {slang}. Paul Reiser ages slow. Berkoff/Banks, while an awesome name for a prog rock band, is also one of the better villain tandems of the 80’s. Eddie Murphy’s laugh, probably could have had one or two less instances where it was the prominent part of a joke. This would have been a very different movie if Ronny Cox’s character went to the surface of Mars and started writhing ass.