Beverly Hills Cop - Review

Before I start this review, let me just warn all of you that if you watch Beverly Hills Cop, the theme song,

"Axel F by Harold Faltermeyer" will be stuck in your head for days. Some people love that tune, myself included, and some people can't stand it. Recently watching it with one of my buddies, he turns to me and says, "Yeah, I think Crazy Frog ruined it for me. I'm expecting some CGI frog to jump in and go "ding-ding"" Just a fair warning to start off with.

This is one of those movies where I file into the "good time" pile. Similar to the "VHS collection at the Lake House" category. If I have my film school analysis cap on and dissect this movie scene for scene, it's not the greatest movie in the world. In fact, it doesn't really bring anything new or special to the table, even for 1984. However, if that's the case, then why is this movie so famous and is considered a classic? One name, Eddie Murphy. On top of that, simply put, it hit's all of the "cool" check marks, but we will get to that in a bit. This is a movie saved by the performance of the lead actor and it's general fun tone, and today, it's 80's nostalgia.

As soon as this movie began, we are treated to some very bland shots of Detroit with "The Heat Is On - Glenn Frey" playing over top and right off the bat, you can tell that these elements don't match, and it feels very dated. Luckily, we are treated to a pretty fun semi-trailer chase with "Neutron Dance - The Pointer Sisters" soon afterwards. I mention both songs right away to state that this movie is an 80's nostalgia fest. Just something that brings a little charm to audiences today.

However, a film needs a story. Even if a movie takes the "style over substance" approach, you at least need something motivating the characters to do things, and Beverly Hills Cop's story is a bland one. It's nothing more than a "find the guy who killed my friend" storyline with very little creativity. Not only that, but "the friend" that is killed is so forgettable, you wonder why Axel Foley is even going through all this trouble in the first place.

Regardless, Axel F sends his services to Beverly Hills to discover the mystery of his friend's killer. Now, I understand what the filmmakers are going for. A tough nosed, unorthodox, black police officer working in a higher class, by the books police department in Beverly Hills with some fish-out-of water comedy and some commentary about class and society. I get that part, but they barely do anything with it. The setup is there, but all we get are some jokes with Eddie Murphy not doing things by the books and using his wit to solve the case. Kind of a missed opportunity, don't you think? A simple police detective story could have been much richer with commentary about society or even some great fish out of water humor. Looks like we are not going to find that here.

What you will find here is a movie that stars a very funny and charismatic lead with some funny moments and a lighthearted tone. Plus, it's cool to look back and see the 80's nostalgia on screen again. Eddie Murphy makes this movie watchable and enjoyable. Not going to lie, I didn't care at all about the plot, the motivation of the characters, the stakes of the situation or anything like that. Simply put, I enjoyed this movie because Eddie Murphy makes this a fun movie to watch.