Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Review

Streetwise detective Axel Foley brings back the nostalgia with some new and old friends in the Netflix comedy, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.

What is Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F about?

Alex Foley (Eddie Murphy) is a Detroit detective with a knack for getting into trouble. When Foley’s daughter, Jane (Taylour Paige), takes on a client pro bono in a murder case, her life becomes in danger. Upon hearing the news, now private investigator, Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) informs Foley of what has happened. So, he immediately travels to Beverly Hills to keep her safe. However, after arriving Billy is missing and Jane wants nothing to do with him. As stated earlier, Foley has a knack for getting into trouble. In doing so, he meets Jane’s ex-boyfriend, Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Together with Serge (Bronson Pinchot) and John Taggart (John Ashton), they uncover a conspiracy that could topple the city.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Review

Director Mark Molloy and writers Will Beal and Tom Gormican really captured the essence of all the previous films. It starts the same as the others, still the same old Foley, he’s causing chaos on the streets of Detroit, his boss Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser) suggests he should visit his daughter in Los Angeles. As with the first three films, it’s a ploy to get him out of the city for a little while to avoid further damage. This is when Foley learns of Janes’s troubles.

Again, when Foley arrives in LA, we see same montage of him driving down the streets of Beverly Hills. Instead of men walking in Thriller jackets, people are taking selfies and feeding their dogs with spoons. The nostalgia doesn’t stop there. The soundtrack is reminiscent of the 80s with the original song, The Heat Is On, Neutron Dance and a score similar to the others. And of course, Serge still can’t pronounce Foley’s name correctly as well as Detective Abbott’s last name. Besides Gordon-Levitt, new to the cast is Kevin Bacon, who portrays corrupt police Captain Cade Grant.

Now that Eddie Murphy is older, he can’t do some of the same stunts he did before, although he looks really good for 63. On the other hand, he stepped back into the role of Foley like riding a bike. As with the other films, there are plenty of shootouts, laughs and hijinks with a stolen helicopter and snowplow. Even though it’s highly predictable, it’s a fun summer movie. Just like Bad Boys: Ride or Die, they lean into what worked in the past with a touch of the present.

Currently, you can watch Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F on Netflix as well as the first two films. Additionally, each of the previous three movies are available to stream on Paramount+.