This classic 80's movie could easily have turned out to be a complete mess. The first draft of the movie was finished in 1977. The shooting script was literally pasted together from the half dozen or so scripts written for this project over the years. At one point Axel Foley was going to be played by Sylvester Stallone. It was supposed to be a much darker revenge movie . Two weeks before filming was to start Stallone left the project and used some of his script ideas to make "Cobra" ( a masterpiece of cheesy B-class action cinema). Then miracle happened in the form of Eddie Murphy.
When Eddie Murphy was hired he started making massive rewrites to the script. It's also interesting that Murphy as well as John Ashton and Judge Reinhold improvised their lines of dialogue and even some scenes. The filming was hectic and even the moviemakers didn't had any clue what will be the end result. Thankfully a combination of accident , luck and genuine filmmaking enthusiasm gave a birth to a great movie.
"Beverly Hills cop" is the very definition of a "star vehicle," a movie that's nothing without its main star. Eddie Murphy is pure gold as Axel Foley - one of the most likeable characters in cinema. He is cool , quick-witted , sarcastic , street smart. He usually uses his brain and smooth talking to get out of trouble . He's not your typical tough guy and that what makes him interesting. You could compare him to Bugs Bunny (which is not a bad thing).
Murphy is the driving force behind the film, no doubt about it. However , he does have a good support here. John Ashton ("Midnight run") and Judge Reinhold ("Fast times at Ridgemont High") as the grumpy Taggart and naïve Rosewood have great chemistry together and pretty much deserve their own movie. Bronson Pinchot as the art curator has small but very memorable part. Ronny Cox ("Robocop") plays a rare for him role of good guy . Lisa Eilbacher is good eye candy. Jonathan Banks ("48 hours") is quite chilling as the bad guy. The only downside is the boring main villain played by Steven Berkoff ("Octopussy").
The plot is pretty much your standard buddy cop movie. It is however also a fish out of water story with some social commentary. The contrast between the different methods of crime and cop life in Detroit and LA works very well. The movie also doesn't have any romance or racial comparisons which gives it a fresh feel. The dialogues and one liners are sharply written and funny. There isn't really much of mystery here and some moments are obviously unrealistic, but it's very easy to ignore.
"BHC" has a pretty strong soundtrack . "Axel F" by Harold Faltermeyer is a true classic. It's cool , bouncy and infectious - just like the main character. I don't think there's a person on Earth that doesn't recognize it. Don't forget about other great songs : Glenn Frey "The Heat is on" , Patti LaBelle "Stir it up" and Pointer Sisters "Neutron dance". Overall , the soundtrack is a great blend of pop-rock from the 80's.
It's surprising that Martin Scorsese was offered the chance to direct , but turned it down. The director Martin Brest was hired and it was a wise decision. Brest turned out to be a expert when it comes to action-comedies with "Beverly Hills Cop" and later with De Niro/Grodin movie "Midnight run". He skillfully blends action with comedy and creates a sense of lightherted adventure.
I give it 8/10. An immensely enjoyable film. It captures everything that was the best about the 80's. It might be a standard movie , but one that doesn't feel mechanical and simply works. There's a real camaraderie between Murphy , Ashton and Reinhold here. The chemistry feels real , the humor works , the action is good. In the long line of action comedies/buddy cop movies (that started in 1982 with "48 hours" also with Murphy) this is the best one.
When Eddie Murphy was hired he started making massive rewrites to the script. It's also interesting that Murphy as well as John Ashton and Judge Reinhold improvised their lines of dialogue and even some scenes. The filming was hectic and even the moviemakers didn't had any clue what will be the end result. Thankfully a combination of accident , luck and genuine filmmaking enthusiasm gave a birth to a great movie.
"Beverly Hills cop" is the very definition of a "star vehicle," a movie that's nothing without its main star. Eddie Murphy is pure gold as Axel Foley - one of the most likeable characters in cinema. He is cool , quick-witted , sarcastic , street smart. He usually uses his brain and smooth talking to get out of trouble . He's not your typical tough guy and that what makes him interesting. You could compare him to Bugs Bunny (which is not a bad thing).
Murphy is the driving force behind the film, no doubt about it. However , he does have a good support here. John Ashton ("Midnight run") and Judge Reinhold ("Fast times at Ridgemont High") as the grumpy Taggart and naïve Rosewood have great chemistry together and pretty much deserve their own movie. Bronson Pinchot as the art curator has small but very memorable part. Ronny Cox ("Robocop") plays a rare for him role of good guy . Lisa Eilbacher is good eye candy. Jonathan Banks ("48 hours") is quite chilling as the bad guy. The only downside is the boring main villain played by Steven Berkoff ("Octopussy").
The plot is pretty much your standard buddy cop movie. It is however also a fish out of water story with some social commentary. The contrast between the different methods of crime and cop life in Detroit and LA works very well. The movie also doesn't have any romance or racial comparisons which gives it a fresh feel. The dialogues and one liners are sharply written and funny. There isn't really much of mystery here and some moments are obviously unrealistic, but it's very easy to ignore.
"BHC" has a pretty strong soundtrack . "Axel F" by Harold Faltermeyer is a true classic. It's cool , bouncy and infectious - just like the main character. I don't think there's a person on Earth that doesn't recognize it. Don't forget about other great songs : Glenn Frey "The Heat is on" , Patti LaBelle "Stir it up" and Pointer Sisters "Neutron dance". Overall , the soundtrack is a great blend of pop-rock from the 80's.
It's surprising that Martin Scorsese was offered the chance to direct , but turned it down. The director Martin Brest was hired and it was a wise decision. Brest turned out to be a expert when it comes to action-comedies with "Beverly Hills Cop" and later with De Niro/Grodin movie "Midnight run". He skillfully blends action with comedy and creates a sense of lightherted adventure.
I give it 8/10. An immensely enjoyable film. It captures everything that was the best about the 80's. It might be a standard movie , but one that doesn't feel mechanical and simply works. There's a real camaraderie between Murphy , Ashton and Reinhold here. The chemistry feels real , the humor works , the action is good. In the long line of action comedies/buddy cop movies (that started in 1982 with "48 hours" also with Murphy) this is the best one.