Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Axel Foley has been off the movie beat since 1994, but it wasn't for a lack of trying. After thirty years of prospective scripts that went nowhere, Eddie Murphy's Beverly Hills Cop is finally back, this time on Netflix, with Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. So, what brings Detroit's finest back to Beverly Hills?

Well, a few reasons. When his old pal, Jeffery (Paul Reiser), retires to save Axel's career after his latest stunt, Jeffrey encourages him to get in touch with his daughter, Jane (Taylour Paige). Jane is a defense attorney whose latest client, Sam Enriquez (Damien Diaz), is accused of killing an undercover cop, Copeland. Jane is threatened by the actual killers when she suspects that Copeland was corrupt. This forces PI Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) to summon Axel back to Beverly Hills, though he disappears when Axel arrives.

Axel quickly gets arrested after he finds the bad guys raiding Rosewood's office. This leads to a friendly reunion with his other BH buddy, now-Chief John Taggart (John Ashton), and a not-so-happy one with Jane. Jane and Axel haven't spoken in years, though they have to work together to find the exculpatory evidence Rosewood recovered. They're joined by Det. Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who happens to be Jane's ex, and are impeded by Captain Grant (Kevin Bacon), a man so smug that Axel immediately realizes that he's the big bad. Can they save the day without wrecking the city? No.

I only saw Beverly Hills Cop III on HBO eons ago, and I remember nothing about it. I think I'll have little trouble remembering this sequel, which marks the directorial debut of commercial director Mark Malloy and features several names from this summer's Bad Boys: Ride or Die (writer Will Beall, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, editor Dan Lebental and composer Lorne Balfe). A lot of it is due to Axel, who's just as spry in his sixties as he was in his twenties. His street smarts are funny, though it's quite impactful when he's too tired to use them at one point. He still gets to use them to get the drop on the bad guys. He may be irritating to some, but we see how he gets the job done. Him repairing his relationship with Jane is a compelling throughline during these crazy 117-minutes.

The opening scene has Axel set up his partner, Det. Woody (Kyle S. More), for heroism busting Hockey Game thieves. You can feel his nervousness when he joins Axel for a destructive snowplow chase. Abbot later gets his own reluctant hero moment when he commanders a helicopter that he can't fly. At all. Abbot, however, proves himself a hero when he joins Axel, Taggert and Rosewood for the final battle. Needless to say, Woody and Abbot are as likable as Axel's usual crew. 

I didn't necessarily mind Taggert being blind to Grant's obvious evil, or Rosewood being absent for most of the plot. Both men are fine. However, I did mind that Enriquez was absent after his one scene. Grant made for a decent big bad, though. Serge (Bronson Pinchot), another returning character, shows up for what is essentially an open house stakeout. His partner, Ashley's (Nasim Pedrad) cheery aggressiveness ("You guys are adorable. I honestly kind of hate it.") is more bewildering than funny.

What is funny, however, is Axel's first chase in Beverly Hills, in which he pursues Grant's goons on a Meter Maid Car, whose owner will not give up without a fight. That, in addition to all other set pieces, are as exciting as they are often funny. Balfe's score, which frequently incorporates Harold Faltermeyer's titular leitmotif, is quite good even as it gives way to returning classics like Bob Seger's Shakedown. What else can I say about it?

Anyone looking for a great action comedy will find one with Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. While the story has its flaws, its main character's cinematic return is a welcome one. You won't be lost if you haven't seen any of the past films in forever, or at all. Just press play on Netflix and you'll be in for a fun home matinee. But what if you aren't in for an R-Rated action film? Well, there's a new family film on Netflix to tell you about. That review's next.