Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

Now Streaming Exclusively on Netflix.

A lot of what counts for the success of “Axel F” is that it Keeps it all Simple. Axel Foley is no different the man he was when we first met him in 1984. That works for and against the character as while he’s still the huckster and con man that we love, it’s managed to make him someone who’s alienated a lot of the people in his life. But what makes Mark Molloy’s take on the character so very good is that it doesn’t aim for huge heights. It’s just another adventure with Axel Foley in Beverly Hills. Except this time he’s so much older and a wee bit slower.

Detective Axel Foley is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she and Foley team up with a new partner and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.

Although the movie itself is mainly a legacy sequel, the writers don’t spend too much time on the prospect of Axel Foley getting old, or ever slowing down. Even in his sixties, he’s still quick talking his way in and out of trouble, and charms those around him. Although the script does give him an estranged daughter (as opposed to the now non-canonical failed TV series pilot which focused on Axel’s son), Axel is still Axel for better and for worse. Eddie Murphy seems to appreciate the idea that although time does age us, the movie simply doesn’t kill the fun and or momentum by spending so much time on Axel, or his friends aging, or living in a new world.

Axel is comfortable just about anywhere, and he’s faced with another enemy who threatens his livelihood. Rather than one that poses a direct threat to his career, this time Axel has to ensure the safety of his daughter, who is very much unlike Axel. While Murphy doesn’t miss a beat in the flesh of Axel, he allows for his co-stars to shine too. Taylour Paige as Axel’s long lost daughter is very good in a restrained role as more of a foil who has a big grudge against her dad. Meanwhile Joseph Gordon Levitt plays very well off of Murphy as a young more law abiding officer pulled in to Axel’s circumstances.

Director Molloy once again sticks to what made the first two films click so well with the audience. The comedy is quick, the music is great, Axel is back to being a fun loving and witty hero who works just as well in the aughts as he did in the 1980’s. In a year bereft of so many interesting releases, “Axel F” is a great re-visit to an old series that we didn’t know we needed.