Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, released on Netflix this past Wednesday, is mostly what you would expect a 2024 Beverly Hills Cop movie to be, but it’s far more faithful to the series than III was, with some clever action, funny Eddie Murphy bits, and plenty of unnecessary destruction. It hits all the beats with perfectly placed songs The Heat Is On, Shakedown, and Neutron Dance, has just the right amount of nostalgia, the usual over-the-top action, and the perfect blend of comedy. There are several chases with Foley commandeering unusual vehicles, and him launching into his usual routine every time he needs information from a new character.
It’s great to see Murphy in the role of Axel Foley again, it’s still his most iconic role in my opinion, sorry Donkey.
Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot all reprised their roles. Taylour Paige plays Foley’s estranged daughter, who is not a defense lawyer, and Joseph-Gordon Levitt is well cast as her ex-boyfriend, a Beverly Hills cop. Kevin Bacon plays a great antagonist.
You see some different sides to Axel in this movie. His scenes with Reinhold, Ashton, and Reiser have a warmth to them, wish they had more time together on screen but it was great when they were. You see a Bad Boys type of comedic banter with the boyfriend. You see the parental side of him as he tries to reconnect with his daughter.
I loved the jab that Bobby (Joseph Godon Levitt) takes at the third movie when he is reading off Axel’s prior Beverly Hills escapades, including one in 1994, “Not your finest hour.”
This nostalgia movie did great in bringing back old characters, introducing you to new ones, and having a decent story, though it’s seemingly perfect that it’s on Netflix rather than at the theater. It’s a good movie, not some blockbuster hit, but I’d watch it again… in fact, it has me wanting to watch the original again right now.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F | Official Trailer | Netflix
Axel Foley is back on July 3, only on Netflix. Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Taylour Paige) and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.
