Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F – Eddie Murphy reboot delivers 'hit of nostalgia'
Axel Foley travels from his native Detroit to La La Land as Netflix revives franchise

"It's been 40 years since Eddie Murphy first played detective Axel Foley" in the hit action-comedy "Beverly Hills Cop", said Alistair Harkness in The Scotsman. An "amped-up sequel" smashed box-office records in its opening weekend in 1987, "then 1994's 'Beverly Hills Cop III' suggested the franchise had run its course".
Yet now it's back – and for a man now in his early 60s, Murphy is in pretty good shape, so seeing him "running and gunning" once again isn't as jarring as it might have been.
Judge Reinhold is among the other returnees from the original cast; new recruits include Taylour Paige, playing Axel's attorney's daughter Jane, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a good-natured detective.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In this outing, Foley travels from his native Detroit to La La Land to help Jane out when she gets into trouble while trying to expose a corrupt cop. The film is really "just about delivering a hit of nostalgia", and to this end, debut director Mark Molloy "handles everything with workmanlike proficiency": there is hardly a scene that doesn't make a reference to the first two films.
When I heard the first strains of the "instantly recognisable theme tune", and caught a glimpse of our "baseball-jacketed" hero, I was inclined to feel fondly of this reboot, said Matthew Bond in The Mail on Sunday. "But I struggled to hold on to that critical benevolence."
Yes, some of the action sequences are "excellent", and the film has funny moments, but it all relies far too heavily on Murphy and the sheer force of his "charisma".
It struck me as "a bit tired and formulaic", said Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian. With the right script, Murphy can still turn in barnstorming performances; but this stale film "presumes a great deal on the audience's brand loyalty."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Pet cloning booms in China
Under The Radar As Chinese pet ownership surges, more people are paying to replicate their beloved dead cat or dog
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The EPA: Let’s forget about climate change
Feature You’ll miss the EPA when it’s been gutted, said former EPA heads
By The Week US Published
-
Schumer: Did he betray the Democrats?
Feature 'Schumer had only bad political options'
By The Week US Published
-
John McWhorter’s 6 favorite books that are rooted in history
Feature The Columbia University professor recommends works by Lyla Sage, Sally Thorne, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Book review: ‘Abundance’ and ‘Raising Hare: A Memoir’
Feature The political party of ‘abundance’ and a political adviser befriends a baby hare
By The Week US Published
-
Video games to play this spring, including 'Split Fiction' and 'South of Midnight'
The Week Recommends A meta co-op game puts you in a game within a game, and a life simulator that can compete with the 'Sims' franchise
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
A horseback safari in the wilds of Zambia
The Week Recommends Unforgettable trip offers chance to see wildlife and experience local villages
By The Week UK Published
-
Erica's harira soup recipe
The Week Recommends Gently spiced Moroccan soup-stew warms the soul
By The Week UK Published
-
6 spacious homes in lofts
Feature Featuring a Landmarks Conservancy award-winning apartment in New York City and a helicopter-workshop-turned-home in Washington, D.C.
By The Week US Published
-
Properties of the week: little gems
The Week Recommends Featuring homes in Kent, Cornwall and Fife
By The Week UK Published
-
Opus: 'charismatic' Ayo Edebiri can't rescue 'empty' cult horror
Talking Point Celebrity satire follows a 'well trodden' plot and struggles to find its voice
By The Week UK Published