Let Daddy come: a review of the movie "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F."
A spirited revival of the action franchise with Eddie Murphy.
Detroit detective Axel Foley (Murphy) is back in Beverly Hills - this time for personal reasons. His daughter Jane (Taylor Page) is defending in court the interests of a man accused of killing a cop. Suspecting something amiss, Foley tries to uncover a conspiracy within the local police force and reconcile with Jane, who still hasn't forgiven her father.
Netflix content is often the subject of debate about the value of filmmaking. The streaming giant is rightly accused of self-repeating, chasing quantity but not quality, wasting budgets on questionable and perishable movies. Sometimes the formula still works - as in the case of the new "Beverly Hills Cop". The trilogy was released from 1984 to 1994, elevated comedian Eddie Murphy to star status, became synonymous with the era, was sincere, funny and not up to date. Coincidentally, the fourth installment of the series largely replicates the success of its predecessors, thanks in large part to Murphy's timeless talent and charisma.
"Axel F." collects every possible cliché of the genre in its two-hour running time and feels no shame about it. Each of the tropes is recognizable and works almost without fail, the script deserves to become a manual for young authors (at least let them learn how to make easy money). In the first fifteen minutes, Axel manages to prevent a major robbery at a hockey game by using a snowplow. In the next hour and thirty, he returns to his second hometown, trendy Beverly Hills, where he will deal with yet another corrupt scheme and realize that his parenting skills are far worse than his fighting skills. Jane, the hero's daughter, prefers not to talk to Foley: the girl had no childhood (she had to flee with her mother from the threatening mob), and her father's only mantra for her was a handcuff release. When Axel and Jane's interests finally collide, unspoken grievances and reasonable accusations rise to the surface.
The film teeters on the edge of action and family drama, bringing back Foley's loyal comrades, cops Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton), as well as introducing newcomers - the well-preserved Joseph Gordon-Levitt (the plucky deputy and potential son-in-law Bobby, in love with Foley's daughter) and the conniving Kevin Bacon (typical evil with shiny veneers and Rolexes). The director was a debutant from Australia, Mark Molloy, who had previously filmed exclusively commercials. The experience came in handy: "Axel F." knows how to entice the buyer with a bright cover and free tasting of available action delicacies (for example, the escape in a police helicopter or the final shootout in the mansion, referring to the first film).
Foley can not change: the hero remains a manic professional of his work, an egoist with burning eyes and heart, ready to come to the rescue at any second. Meanwhile, Netflix has once again miscalculated by releasing the movie on the Net. This kind of cinematic escapism deserves decent box office returns in theaters that have air-conditioning to save the day in the heat. With Harold Faltermeyer's legendary theme song, life is sure to get better, just like in the good old days.
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