Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

My Review

“Beverly Hills Cop” is a comedy film where an insubordinate Detroit policeman travels to Beverly Hills, California, to investigate a friend’s murder. He teams up with two of the local detectives, much to the chagrin of their superiors. Hilarity and laughs ensue, well directed by Martin Brest (“Going in Style” 1979) from an excellent screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr. and Danilo Bach.

The cast members deliver entertaining performances, especially Eddie Murphy as detective Axel Foley and Judge Reinhold as detective Billy Rosewood. Co-stars are John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher, Steven Berkhoff, Ronny Cox, James Russo, Stephen Elliot, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot, Jonathan Banks, and Damon Wayans as the buffet concierge who gives Axel bananas to clog someone’s tailpipe.

The very watchable “Beverly Hills Cop” was the highest grossing film of 1984 for producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Eddie Murphy Productions, and Paramount Pictures. It received one Oscar nod for Best Original Screenplay, and was filmed around Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, California, and Detroit, Michigan. Three sequels followed, all starring Murphy and Reinhold – “Beverly Hills Cop II” (1987), “Beverly Hills Cop III” (1994), and “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” (2024).