Eddie Murphy’s name will forever be etched into the world of 80s comedy films. He’s done such a tremendous job stretching the name of African-American comedians in that era, and bringing it to a wider audience globally. Eddie Murphy was perhaps the reason why films such as Bad Boys and Rush Hour ended up being made, and bringing an era of action comedy films that would aspire filmmakers for generations.
It all started with the release of Beverly Hills Cop, an eighties box office success unlike any other that you can find out there!
How to Stream or Download Beverly Hills Cop
You can stream it or you can download the film from a digital store. Click on the Download button at the end of the review and make your choice. And if you like Eddie Murphy, listen to his performance in Shrek where he lends his voice to Donkey. Fans of buddy cop action films should also check out Lethal Weapon (1987).
The Movie Review
Young and inexperienced Axel Foley is a detective for for the Detroit Police Department, and his life has just gotten much harder after a botched and unauthorized sting operation fails to become a success story for him. Of course, losing out on all he deemed best, he gets bullied by for insubordination and is sent home.
This is where the plot thickens, as he finds his childhood friend Mikey, who is soon murdered after this small reunion. The one thing that Mikey’s killers did not know is that Axel Foley is one relentless cop, and he’s taking this investigation in his own hands, whether he’s allowed by his Inspector or not.
Right off the bat, we need to talk about how funny this movie’s direction is. This is a film jam packed with comedy, even the key moment where Mikey dies is somewhat of a comedic sequence as the two killers are kind of horrible at their job.
Director Martin Brest was the perfect choice for this sort of slapstick and verbal comedy, as his previous films Going in Style and Fast Times at Ridgemont High were both chock-full of this stuff.
It’s also a testament to his abilities as a director, that he can essentially put together a well-directed scene about a character trying to cope with the death of his friend, and yet it still turns out to be rib-tickling humor.
Eddie Murphy of course steals the limelight here, the man just cannot be stopped. This film was sort of a wakeup call for Hollywood, they knew that they just had to start casting more stand-up comedians in main roles for comedy films as they were just dishing out fantastic performances.
Eddie Murphy also ended up becoming one of the most popular African-American figures in the history of Hollywood, and this film was the main thing that made it happen. Though unfortunately, the rest of the cast doesn’t really make their performances feel believable at all.
It was kind of like watching a B-Movie at times due to the horrible acting. Murphy carries the film though, and that works for me!
I would have a few issues here and there with this film, especially in terms of the cinematography and the editing. However, it’s a surprisingly low budget action comedy film from 1984, so I can’t really hold much against it in terms of production design.
Sure, there could have been better choreographed action sequences to enhance the experience. Of course, there could have been better lighting in some of the areas such as the night clubs and the Detroit street ways at night.
Though in all honesty, the film perfectly encapsulates the classic 80s action blockbuster film value, and that’s all that it honestly needs to do to be so incredibly fun.
The music on the other hand is absolutely fantastic. It has some of the most banger tracks in some of the weirdest and funniest action sequences that you can have in Hollywood.
The only thing that I did mind was the editing, which did feel a little less sketched out than it should have. Some scenes would be cut abruptly, while others were kept on for a little too long and it was weirdly visible how some of the actors were starting to break out of character.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, Beverly Hills Cop is that film you watch when you’re feeling down and need a refresher for your brain. It’s a fun, engaging, exciting film, filled with high quality humor that will floor even the coldest person in the world.
It could have done better with some more uniqueness to its plot, as the classic revenge narrative was quite stale even in the eighties, along with the rogue cop narrative. Though in all honesty, I couldn’t care less, I was having the time of my life watching this classic comedy flick.
