Make a timeline, put 1984 at the start, and then get ready to chart the downfall of Eddie Murphy’s career. The original Beverly Hills Cop is without question the best thing Eddie Murphy ever did, whether in television or film. Now his name has become synonymous with flops like Norbit, Meet Dave, and countless other films that would be better forgotten. He bounced back slightly with Shrek and Dreamgirls, but those are blips on the radar. Beverly Hills Cop put Eddie Murphy front and center in a brilliantly written comedy with a fantastic supporting cast and a compelling cop drama. Eddie Murphy doesn’t get any better than this, it’s a must see and it’s about time we finally got it in HD.
Detective Axel Foley (Murphy) of the Detroit Police goes all out when it comes to roping in criminals and it’s not unusual that his capers land him in deep water with his chief. When an old friend from Foley’s younger days of crime comes back into town with a handful of valuable bonds, he’s subsequently murdered by a hit squad, putting Foley on the case to find out just what kind of trouble his friend was in. The investigation leads him to take some “vacation time” and he heads off to Beverly Hills where he hopes to find some answers. His less than covert method to investigation immediately puts him on the radar of the local police force and the lieutenant (Ronny Cox) tasks Detective Sergeant Taggart (John Ashton) and Detective Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) with tailing Foley and keeping him out of trouble. They don’t do their job particularly well, but luckily that affords Foley the opening he needs to investigate business mogul Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff) and uncover the secret behind his upstanding business.
Beverly Hills Cop isn’t a police caper with well-written comedy, it’s a terrific comedy that just so happens to have a well paced and plotted detective mystery at its center. First and foremost it’s a comedy, and because of that Murphy is in his element. An interesting footnote to the film’s comic success is that the film doesn’t feature lots of improvisation from Eddie Murphy, unlike what many would expect as it’s become the norm in many comedies these days. The brilliant comedy bits that are so memorable are actually written into the script. The writing is just that good. What Murphy added was his fast-talking charm, the signature Axel Foley laugh, and some expletives. It’s a rare comedy, especially nowadays, whose comedy springs almost entirely from the script. Murphy is great, and thanks to the support of Ashton and Reinhold (who will forever be Rosewood, no matter what other roles he has), Beverly Hills Cop is the buddy cop comedy that somehow manages to eschew giving the main character a buddy.
The film has that typical 80s action film style, but what really makes the film come to life is its rollicking 80s soundtrack. From the opening it just makes you smile, and the song choices throughout the film make it brim with life beyond that provided by the superb cast and script. The Blu-ray picture looks crisp and sharp, but it’s not a revelation that will make you believe in HD in a new way. It’s a tremendous film and a sharp comedy, but the Blu-ray upgrade will really be for those who haven’t already purchased it on DVD. Most importantly, I’m a bit confused as to why Paramount hasn’t released the full trilogy set on Blu-ray like they did on DVD as the two sequels never reached the same heights, but it’s nice to have them to watch immediately after, because when you’re hooked on Foley, the other two films get you by.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The extras here are ported directly from the previous DVD releases and include director Martin Brest’s audio commentary (a new one with Eddie Murphy would have been fantastic), a featurette looking at the film that started the franchise, casting videos for the main players in the film, and one that lists the musical choices of the film and how they were chosen. The disc ends with a theatrical trailer and a look at the locations the film’s events occur at.
"Beverly Hills Cop" is on sale May 17, 2011 and is rated R. Comedy. Directed by Martin Brest. Written by Danilo Bach (story), Daniel Petrie Jr. (screenplay). Starring Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton.
