Eddie Murphy has now made Beverly Hills Cop movies for 4 decades, with the fourth entry, Netflix’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F taking 30 of those years to make it to the screen. By now, Murphy is far less prolific, having made only a handful of movies since Dolemite Is My Name brought him back into the limelight, but in the 1980s, he was as big a star as it’s possible to imagine.

Hot off his incredibly popular run on Saturday Night Live, Murphy had already made 48 Hours and Trading Places, coolly fitting into Hollywood with the same swagger that would make Axel Foley so instantly popular. The original movie was energetic, charming, and funny, and made enough money that the industry wanted more.

Diminishing returns somewhat inevitably followed, with two progressively inferior sequels, but the franchise is finally back on the right track. So how does Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F compare to the original trilogy? Has Netflix really recaptured the magic?

4Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

The First Belated Sequel Lacks Energy Or Any Real Spark

If Eddie Murphy had got his own way, Beverly Hills Cop 3 would never have actually happened. Five years before the sequel hit cinemas to an apathetic audience that failed to turn out, Murphy had said it shouldn’t be made:

“There’s no reason to do it. I don’t need the money, and it’s not gonna break any new ground. How often can you have Axel Foley talk fast and get into a place he doesn’t belong? But these motherf*ckers are developing scripts for it.

Sadly, whatever convinced him to actually make it wasn’t enough to make him enthusiastic about it in his performance. Director John Landis tends to take the heat for the movie’s failure, and there are certainly grave issues with the script and story, but Murphy’s listless performance is a gnawing low-point.

He apparently sought a more serious tone for Axel Foley in his return, putting him squarely at odds with Landis’ usual style, and sucking almost all the joy out of the movie. This is not the fast-paced action comedy of the first entries: it’s a frightfully dull moslty-just-actioner that doesn’t seem to want to take advantage of any of the franchise’s former magic.

There are rare standouts – like the return of Bronson Pinchot’s Serge – but even that comes with the baffling caveat that he’s now a sort of fashionista/arms dealer to the stars. The fact that George Lucas’ equally baffling cameo is about the most memorable thing about it is poor testimony.

3Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)

Axel Foley’s First Return Was A Little Too Familiar, But The Formula Still Works

Perhaps it’s nostalgia, but I don’t remember Beverly Hills Cop II being as bad as its critical reception suggests. It did most of what made the original movie such great fun, providing Eddie Murphy with the opportunity to crack wise and be cool. It also came with the innate stamp of approval associated with director Tony Scott, who proves himself far more capable than John Landis did 7 years later. 

This is, though, formula sequel-making in action – which Eddie Murphy obviously felt himself, given his comments in 1989 – but at this point, it hasn’t outgrown its welcome. The plot feels like an excuse to get more Axel Foley screen time, and there’s a bit more of an outrageous tone, which comes slightly at the cost of the comedy.

Plainly, it’s not quite as funny, not quite as charming, and absolutely not new and exciting. But it’s enjoyable enough to make it. a lot less immediately skippable than its follow-up.

2Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

30 Years In The Making, Eddie Murphy’s Belated Return Is A Worthy Revival

30 years after the third entry in the series, Eddie Murphy finally returned as his most famous live-action character, and it was worth the wait. Taking a similar line to other legacy sequels like Top Gun: Maverick and Creed, but not throwing out the best of the franchise’s formula, Axel F is a strong blend of nostalgia and legacy. Murphy is on good form, more believably softening Axel’s humor in contrast to Beverly Hills Cop III‘s more forced hand.

There’s more of a contemplative tone, as director Mark Molloy steers through heavier waters reflecting on a new age of policing. And mercifully, there’s no unnecessary anti-woke messaging, which could have been very tempting given the usual “fish out of water” story. Instead, we get to see an older Axel in very familiar circumstances, with freshness afforded by Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s new sidekick Abbott, and Foley’s daughter Jane (Taylour Paige). 

The plot is hardly transformative, and the villain twist is as subtle as a snow plow careening through a city, but sometimes familiarity is comfortable. The returns of old heads Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) are catnip to franchise fans, and there’s more than enough hope for the future.

1Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

A Surprising, Brilliant Arrival For One Of The 1980s’ Best Characters

Sometimes it’s just too hard to argue with the original. Forty years after its release, Beverly Hills Cop is still one of the best 1980s action comedies ever made. Deliciously taking advantage of Eddie Murphy’s rising star – which earned him the useful privilege of freedom to improvise – it’s a great culture clash movie, and Axel Foley is like a hand grenade.

Beverly Hills Cop was originally written as an action vehicle for Sylvester Stallone before Eddie Murphy was cast.

The culture clash storyline, which quickly became a formula for its sequels, saw Foley gleefully “bending the law” as his forced partners/babysitters Taggart and Rosewood offered balance. While Murphy gets the plaudits, the dynamic between the three most prominent characters is enormously rewarding, with still-stylish action sequences by director Martin Brest.

It’s not Murphy’s best film – that’s either Dolemite Is My Name, Trading Places, or Dreamgirls – but it was a hell of an announcement to his star quality. And the fact that Axel Foley became such an iconic character without any truly great sequels is as good a testament to the original as any.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axl F is available to stream on Netflix now.

“There’s no reason to do it. I don’t need the money, and it’s not gonna break any new ground. How often can you have Axel Foley talk fast and get into a place he doesn’t belong? But these motherf*ckers are developing scripts for it.

Sadly, whatever convinced him to actually make it wasn’t enough to make him enthusiastic about it in his performance. Director John Landis tends to take the heat for the movie’s failure, and there are certainly grave issues with the script and story, but Murphy’s listless performance is a gnawing low-point.

He apparently sought a more serious tone for Axel Foley in his return, putting him squarely at odds with Landis’ usual style, and sucking almost all the joy out of the movie. This is not the fast-paced action comedy of the first entries: it’s a frightfully dull moslty-just-actioner that doesn’t seem to want to take advantage of any of the franchise’s former magic.