‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ Review – A Disappointing Fourth Installment

It’s a red flag when a legendary performer starts doing sequels to beloved hits, like Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. It’s as if they are keeping the option in their back pocket, just in case they need to cash in—like a stock option or that family heirloom you finally put up on eBay. After Eddie Murphy’s disastrous Coming 2 America almost ruined the original, one would hope he learned his lesson before bringing Axel Foley back to the (small) screen.

I’m sorry to say that Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is a massive disappointment. It may be marginally better than the weird, theme-parked third installment. However, Murphy looks like he is sleepwalking through the role as if mentally counting his paycheck in every chase scene. (Hilariously, every chase involves Murphy in some automobile, as if it were worked into the contract.)

Even with the addition of Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who apparently hasn’t learned his Netflix lesson after Project Power) and bringing back old familiar faces like Judge Reinhold (Fast Times at Ridgemont High) and John Ashton (Little Big League) from the original cast, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F only proves one thing—you can never go home again, and again, and again.

The story follows Foley (Murphy) as he faces suspension for another car chase that causes the type of damage insurance companies fold over. His insubordination and liability are so severe that higher-ups want him fired. However, his old partner, now boss Jeffrey (Paul Reiser reprising his role), takes the fall for him. After all, what are former partners for? Jeffrey retires, allowing Axel to remain on the force.

However, Axel receives a call from an old friend, Billy (Reinhold), now a private eye in Beverly Hills. No longer a department member, Billy works for Foley’s daughter Jane (Taylour Paige from Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), who is representing a cop killer. Soon, Jane’s life is threatened unless she drops the case, prompting Billy to alert Foley, who cancels everything to check in on his estranged offspring.

Jeffrey drops Axel off at the airport, leaving behind his 1968 Chevy Nova rust bucket in Detroit. When Axel arrives, Jane refuses to talk to him, and Billy has gone missing. Axel then encounters Taggart (Ashton), now a captain, who turns his back on Billy. Taggart introduces Axel to his protege, Grant (Kevin Bacon), and his best detective, Abbott (Gordon-Levitt), who has a personal relationship with Jane.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is an exercise in nostalgia done wrong, not right. Murphy’s Foley delivers awkward dialogue, acting like he is good friends with people he hasn’t seen in 30 years. Director Mark Molloy makes his feature film debut behind the camera. His film is such a tribute to the original, and you could openly accuse him of plagiarism if the term “homage” didn’t exist. Axel goes on a high-speed chase with a delivery truck check.

Want more? Cue up loads of Harold Faltermeyer’s “Axel F” and Glenn Frey’s “The Heat is On” during a cold winter. How about Billy and Taggart spewing the same lines during a gunfight? Or Taggart punching Foley in the gut, just like in the original? Let’s have Foley get the guys to grab a drink while on duty and say, “Trust me,” to evoke those comforting cinematic feelings.

It’s strange because the script boasts some talent, with writers like Will Beall (Bad Boys for Life) and the scribes from The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten, who managed comic reverence for Nicolas Cage. However, the action scenes feel tired, Murphy’s performance has grown stale, and the plot is so predictable it eliminates any suspense.

This is nothing you haven’t seen or heard before. Except, the filmmaking team has somehow made a sequel that seems out of date and has taken place 40 years after the original. Murphy may have padded his wallet, but he also proves you can’t go home again, especially for a fourth time.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F will debut on Netflix on July 3, 2024.