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.
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."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetime
Feature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’
Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
-
Philadelphia’s Calder Gardens
Feature A permanent new museum
-
One great cookbook: ‘The Woks of Life’
The Week Recommends A family’s opinionated, reliable take on all kinds of Chinese cooking
-
The 5 best mob movies of all time
The Week Recommends If you don’t like a good gangster flick, just fuhgeddaboudit
-
Mustardy beans and hazelnuts recipe
The Week Recommends Nod to French classic offers zingy, fresh taste
-
9 haunted hotels where things definitely go bump in the night
The Week Recommends Don’t fear these spirited spots. Embrace them.
-
Susie Dent picks her favourite books
The Week Recommends The lexicographer and etymologist shares works by Jane Goodall, Noel Streatfeild and Madeleine Pelling