Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills after his daughter Jane and his old partner Billy Rosewood's lives are threatened. She and Axel team up with her ex-boyfriend Bobby Abbott and his old pals, John Taggart and Serge, to uncover a conspiracy.
In true 80s fashion, it's a paint-by-numbers outing, but director Mark Molloy successfully taps into nostalgia, while offering a few surprises, delivering a welcomed return for Axel Foley. Noticeable from the start is that it's not sugar-coated for an age rating; like the old days, it pulls no punches in terms of violence and expletive language.
Eddie Murphy returns in his barrier-breaking signature role. Thanks to Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten's writing, Axel feels like Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr.'s character from the first and second films (which the third lacked with a generic script). Kevin Bacon as Captain Cade Grant is on top form, and the returning cast, including Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot, are excellent. Although Gil Hill and Ronny Cox don't appear in the film, they are seen in photographs. Luis Guzmán gives an extended cameo. New likable characters include Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Taylour Paige, who add a little energy.
From beginning to end, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F has big action sequences. Yes, they're older, but like the callback music by Lorne Balfe, it has the charm. It corrects the bland and woeful Beverly Hills Cop III.
Overall, Molloy offers a surprisingly good action comedy with a few memorable moments.
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