Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

If only Eddie's movies stayed this way

He would have still had his core audience. Now he does nothing but family-orientated movies. BHC is a classic and probably his best and funniest movie ever. You can never get tired of it! June 16, 2008

Eddie at his action comedy best

Beverly Hills Cop is an example of Eddie Murphy at his best in an action comedy. The film set a new standard for action movies, having a black amercian in the lead role. The film is still noteworthy today as it set the template for Rush Hour and Bad Boys and hopefully one day they make a fourth fulm. March 25, 2008

Eddie plays the police game again!

Saturday Night Live alum Eddie Murphy once again plays the police game in this first of three installments,somewhat similarly to how he did in 48 HRS.. This is one of a multitude of Murphy's films produced by Paramount and also he delighted his fans with other Paramount properties such as TRADING PLACES and BEST DEFENSE(both followed 48 HRS. and preceded this film). In addition to Murphy,director Martin Brest(MIDNIGHT RUN,SCENT OF A WOMAN) worked with other talented actors like Judge Reinhold(THE SANTA CLAUSE,RUTHLESS PEOPLE),Ronny Cox,John Ashton(MR,SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL,LITTLE BIG LEAGUE) and Lisa Eilbacher. Murphy is Axel Foley,a Detroit plain-clothes detective sent to do some work in beautiful Beverly Hills. He joins forces with Officer Billy Rosewood(Reinhold) and Sgt. John Taggart(Ashton). Axel is caught inside of a truck filled with stolen cigarette cartons and in another scene,is thrown by a group of four through a front window. Billy's and John's chief of their precinct is Andrew Boagamil(Cox). The film is filled with great music performed by Glenn Frey,the Pointer Sisters and Patti LaBelle. There's also an awesome instrumental piece entitled AXEL F written by Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey and performed by Faltermeyer. The duo later wrote music for the sequel and another Paramount property,TOP GUN. This film was theatrically released in December 1984 when video stores were then only independently operated. Brest later directed Ashton in Universal's MR. February 26, 2008

Watching the funny antics of our hero in this wonderful movie is like watching the 'Law of Requisite Variety' at work!

Recently, I just browsed through my personal DVD movie collections & decided to watch the entire 'Beverly Hills Cop' movie trilogy, starring Eddie Murphy.

I had actually watched the original version in the movie theatres, with the first one during the eighties.

I had always thought that the first one offered wonderful life lessons.

In the movie, Alex Foley, a free-wheeling, street-wise, loud-mouthed police detective in Detroit (played by Eddie Murphy), while pursuing a murder investigation of a good but dead buddy, found himself dealing with a very different culture in Beverly Hills.

Meanwhile, he also got himself entangled with two reluctant but goofy cops (played like a 'Laurel & Hardy' duo by Judge Reinhold & John Ashton) from the Beverly Hills Police Department, while poking his nose into the affairs of a local businessman/art gallery owner, Victor Maitland (played menacingly by Steven Berkof), who also happened to be a drug kingpin using his gallery as a front.

On the whole, it was a hilariously funny movie with a gripping story, plus a now-famous sound-track with a great blend of techno pop & electro rock.

What impressed me most about the movie was not so much the pulsating action sequences & fascinating one-liner dialogue, but watching our quick-witted hero out-thinking & out-manoeuvring, irrespective of whether they were the bad guys or the good guys, who stood in the way of his murder investigation.

First, he conned the building renovation crew of a large house to take a few days off so that he could stay in it for free. Then, the 'banana in the tail pipe' episode was a real classic.

When he entered into a bonded warehouse illegally, he was cornered by a security guard, but quickly turned the difficult situation into a random inspection by US Customs to test their security protocol.

The 'Ramon' sequence ("Tell Victor that Ramon - the fella he met about a week ago? - tell him that Ramon went to the clinic today, and I found out that I have, um, herpes simplex 10, and I think Victor should go check himself out with his physician to make sure everything is fine before things start falling off on the man.") at the entrance to a posh restaurant to get to the drug kingpin was another classic one.

There were too numerous 'incidents' - worthwhile from the learning perspective - to write about here. Frankly speaking, you just got to go & watch this movie once again.

Whether you like it or not, the seemingly unorthodox methods by our hero, in reality, reflected quick spontaneous thinking on the feet. I like to call them acts of 'anticipatory prowess', a good life skill worth emulating in today's fast-changing world, especially when dealing with unexpected life situations.

Eddie Murphy is a very versatile actor. I have watched many of his movies, e.g. '48 Hours' & 'Another 48 Hours', & for me, this particular one has been most memorable, & best of all, offers the most real-life lessons.

Watching his funny antics in this wonderful movie is like watching the 'Law of Requisite Variety' at work! January 8, 2008

Eddie Murphy at his best

Beverly Hills Cop is directed by Martin Brest. The film stars Eddie Murphy and co-stars Judge Reinhold, Gilbert R. Hill, James Russo, Ronny Cox, Lisa Eilbacher, Paul Reiser, Jonathan Banks, Bronson Pinchot, John Ashton, and Steven Berkoff. Harold Faltermeyer contributes the film score and numerous artists perform songs for the film, including Glenn Frey, Danny Elfman, Patti LaBelle, Shalamar, and the Pointer Sisters.

The film tells the story of Axel Foley, a fast-talking Detroit police officer who, despite his best efforts to be a good cop, always ends up being a bumbling misfit. Because of this he is ridiculed by his fellow officers and boss. But when a friend who got mixed up in some dirty business is killed, Foley goes against his boss's direct orders and drives out to Beverly Hills to search for clues. Once there he immediately gets into trouble with the law, and gradually befriends two of the local cops. He meets up with an old female friend now employed by a wealthy art dealer.... Only to discover he may not be the admired philanthropist so many think he is.

This is one of those films that is the perfect balance between action and comedy - and it doesn't disappoint in either area. Beverly Hills Cop has an excellent cast of characters, all of whom are well played. Of course, it's Murphy who steals the show. There are plenty of great scenes here, spanning a variety of colorful locales. A terrific soundtrack and musical score only add to the fun. It's not surprising that the film spawned sequels, as well, though none of them topped the original. With Beverly Hills Cop, director Martin Brest and producer Jerry Bruckheimer give us one of the quintessential action comedies.

Eddie Murphy plays the role of Axel Foley, the loudmouthed cop the film revolves around. Murphy is one of the most talented men in comedy, and this role feels tailor-made for him. As he was not the first choice for the role, several rewrites for his dialogue were required - all of which greatly benefited the final product. A talented cop but with an undeniably reckless nature, he is shunned by his peers. You can't help but feel sorry for the character, who is a lovable loser of sorts. With his signature fast-talking, over-the-top dialogue, he makes this movie a showcase of his acting and comedy abilities. Without Murphy I doubt this movie would have gone down in history as the classic it's now viewed as.

Murphy is complemented with a terrific supporting cast. Among these supporters are Judge Reinhold and John Ashton as the two cops that ultimately befriend our hero despite their initial differences, real-life cop Gilbert R. Hill as Foley's Detroit boss who wouldn't think twice about kicking him off the force if he made another screw-up, Damon Wayans in a brief-but-memorable role as a weird fruit vendor, Steven Berkoff as the art dealer Axel suspects in his friend's murder, and numerous others. Even director Martin Brest has a small cameo as a checkout clerk in the hotel!

The way Martin Brest directs this film is excellent, one of the many things that has contributed to its nature as a classic eighties comedy. Many action-comedies fail to give the right balance of the two fields. There's either too much action and not enough comedy, or vice versa. Brest doesn't make this mistake. In his scenes, there is action galore, but he doesn't let this stop Murphy from making you laugh. Just when you think a scene is getting too suspenseful or serious, he throws in the comic relief. But the comedy doesn't get second fiddle to the action, either. It's just the right mix of the two.

Another great strength behind this classic of a film is its music. Harold Faltermeyer composed an electronic-flavored score that makes the film distinctly eighties, but at the same time never makes the movie feel dated. His music never sounds overly cheesy or over-the-top either. Numerous artists performed songs for the film, the best known of which probably being Glenn Frey's classic, The Heat Is On (which was written by Faltermeyer.) Other highlights come from the Pointer Sisters, Patti LaBelle, and even Danny Elfman, who would become a film composer in his own right.

Beverly Hills Cop is action comedy done right. The collaboration between Brest and Murphy made for one of the most popular films to come out of the eighties. There were sequels and rip-offs, none of which measured up to the original. Whether you're looking for an action-comedy or an eighties movie, or maybe both, this classic gives you the best of both worlds.

Thumbs up December 13, 2007

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