Courageous Nerd

Fans of Beverly Hills Cop are surely excited as the latest instalment, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F premieres today (July 3) on Netflix.

Eddie Murphy is back as the iconic Detroit detective, Axel Foley, with a plethora of supporting actors from previous films also making a comeback.

40 years have passed since the original film and 30 since the third. Yet, I must confess: I’ve only recently watched the existing trilogy recently.

I’ve been a longtime admirer of Eddie Murphy’s work – such as Dreamgirls and Shrek, for instance. It was exciting to ‘jump back’ to Murphy’s early 20s and see the comedian in one of his most beloved roles.

As a new fan, my main observation with the original Beverly Hills Cop is how accessible its humour is. Despite the flick being four decades old, I found the film extremely funny and entertaining.

The dated technology, hairstyles and in some cases, fashion, are an obvious giveaway to the time period. However, in my opinion, the first Beverly Hills Cop is strong enough to stand on its own without being merely an “80s film”, despite having the stereotypical English baddie.

Let it be known, Axel putting bananas in a tailpipe as a comedy gag is still hilarious to this day.

Meanwhile the luxury of the original trilogy being on Netflix means getting to watch them back-to-back, rather than wait several years.

I would venture to say the first movie is the strongest, followed by films #2 and #3 in that order.

The absence of Taggart (John Ashton) and Bogomil (Ronny Cox), but presence of fan-favourite Serge (Bronson Pinchot), made the third film a mixed bag.

Then, of course, Judge Reinhold’s brilliant performance as Billy Rosewood across all the films, with his naivety contrasting both Axel and Taggart.

The differences between the three detectives and their dynamic were a big part of why the first two films were so funny.

In Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, we see the likes of Billy, Taggart, Serge and Detroit policeman Jeffrey (Paul Reiser) return for another adventure alongside Axel.

Despite previously retiring and moving to Phoenix, Taggart is now the Chief in this film while Kevin Bacon appears as Captain Cade Grant.

Taylour Paige and Joseph Gordon-Levitt also join the cast: the former as Axel’s daughter Jane and the latter as police detective Bobby Abbott, respectively.

It’s time for a new generation to strap into the wild adventures of Axel Foley.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F streams on Netflix from July 3.

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