30 years after its original, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” (2024) continues all the laughs with new conflicts and characters while still incorporating fan favorites. Detroit’s favorite cop, Axel Foley, returns to Beverly Hills to protect his estranged daughter, Jane Saunders. Jane, a defense attorney, unknowingly took on a case that was tied to multiple dangerous groups, ultimately leading her to become a target. Axel, with the help of Detective Bobby Abbott, Jane’s ex-boyfriend, teams up with his old friends to uncover the mysterious forces behind the case and keep Jane safe.
The film pays homage to its predecessors through several iconic songs, shots, and lines that are sure to trigger strong nostalgic feelings for long-time viewers, creating a sense of connection and sentimentality. Although it helps to see the others beforehand in order to understand specific references, the film does well on its own. Just as Taggart says in the final fight scene, “Some things never change.” It was well-focused on the central plot and kept the timeline relatively easy to follow. The humor of the film stays light-hearted throughout but manages to balance well with the serious themes of father-daughter relationships and work-life balance. Although at times it did feel a little preachy due to the way the lines were written, the overall messages were nice. The fight scenes are intense and fun to watch while still keeping the comedy as the primary focus.
For a comedy, the acting was adequate overall; however, in the more serious moments, I felt like it fell flat. While Jane’s character is supposed to be rather serious and down to earth, generally, she comes across as empty. I didn’t feel any complexity with her besides what was explicitly shown and discussed in the film. There didn’t seem to be much behind her besides a complicated relationship with her father. Detective Abbott felt more balanced, as we learned a lot about his history and motivations throughout the film, and the returning characters were also well-rounded.
Director: Mark Molloy
Studio: Netflix, Eddie Murphy Productions, Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Actors: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Kevin Bacon
Writers: Danilo Bach, Daniel Petrie Jr., Will Beall
Runtime: 1 hr 58 min
Written Review by Kathryn Rachford
Radio Review: Sarah Knight Adamson and Kathryn Rachford Link to broadcast: Beverly_Hills_Cop_Axel_F_H360