Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Director:

Martin Brest

Writers:

Danilo Bach (story)
Daniel Petrie Jr. (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 December 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

In Detroit a cop learns to take the heat. In L.A. he learns to keep his cool. [Theatrical Australia]

Plot:

A freewheeling Detroit cop pursuing a murder investigation finds himself dealing with the very different culture of Beverly Hills.

Plot Keywords:

Electronic Music Score | Drug Smuggling | Detroit Michigan | Coffee | Billiards

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Eddie Murphy	...	Det. Axel Foley
Judge Reinhold	...	Det. William 'Billy' Rosewood
John Ashton	...	Det. Sgt. John Taggart
Lisa Eilbacher	...	Jeannette 'Jenny' Summers
Ronny Cox	...	Lt. Andrew Bogomil
Steven Berkoff	...	Victor Maitland
James Russo	...	Mikey Tandino
Jonathan Banks	...	Zack, Maitland's Thug
Stephen Elliott	...	Police Chief Hubbard
Gilbert R. Hill	...	Insp. Douglas Todd
Art Kimbro	...	Det. Foster
Joel Bailey	...	Det. McCabe
Bronson Pinchot	...	Serge
Paul Reiser	...	Jeffrey
Michael Champion	...	Casey

Also Known As:

Beverly Drive (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Canada:18A | Portugal:M/12 | Denmark:15 | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-14 (re-rating) | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-16 (1985) | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:18 | Ireland:15 | Norway:16 (1985) | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills Civic Center - 19606 450 Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Bronson Pinchot got the accent and mannerisms for his character Serge from a crew member he worked with on a earlier project. Like his character, that crew member always said, "Don't be stupid."

Goofs:

Continuity: The cue ball changes position from the time the bet is made to when the man actually hits it.

Quotes:

Axel Foley: Coffee grounds.
Jenny Summers: So?
Axel Foley: You know what this stuff is used for?
Jenny Summers: Yeah, some people filter hot water through it and drink it.
Axel Foley: Yeah, I'm gonna take this home and filter hot water through it and drink it in the morning.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "HBO First Look: 'Blue Streak': Inside & Undercover" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Don't Get Stopped In Beverly Hills

This is my favorite Eddie Murphy movie.

Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is a sassy, streetwise Detroit detective who travels to Beverly Hills to track down the men who murdered his old friend (James Russo).

That's the simple setup for the most entertaining movie Eddie has ever done (in my opinion). This is a rather easy picture to review because it's so successful it would be hard to find its flaws. It works in many areas: laughs, action, casting, chemistry between the actors, music, and execution.

Axel Foley was truly one of the best roles Eddie's ever had, and the comic is at the top of his game, indulging in a little improvisation as Axel manufactures scams in order to manipulate the people around him and get what he needs. It truly is a pleasure to watch these performers work together. Harold Faltermeyer's electronic pop score is instantly catchy, and the songs are good too. Some bits, notably the 'bananas in the tailpipe', and the 'supercops' story, are inspired.

It's also worth it to see future comedy stars like Paul Reiser (as an amusingly annoying colleague of Axel's), Bronson Pinchot (stealing his two scenes as the art gallery employee Serge), and Damon Wayans (with hair!) as the young guy who gives Axel the bananas.

Why can't Eddie make movies like this nowadays? For every good movie that he does (the "Dr. Dolittle" movies, "Daddy Day Care"), his failures ("Showtime", "Pluto Nash", "I Spy") set him back. To date, his first three movies ("48 HRS.", "Trading Places", and this one) remain his best.

Now that I've seen the special edition version of the videotape, I've learned that for a while the movie was intended to be a serious, non-jokey cop movie starring Sylvester Stallone! How fortunate that it ended up the way that it did.

If you want to see Eddie Murphy at his best, watch this and the other two movies that I mentioned. They are SO worth it.

10/10