Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

3/10

Starring

Eddie Murphy

Judge Reinhold

Héctor Elizondo

Theresa Randle

Directed by John Landis

After Beverly Hills Cop I in 1984, they should have just stopped. But you know Hollywood—when a movie makes money, they’ll never stop. The idea of a loose Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) in the first film was fun and cool. Watching him use his charm to solve cases was interesting to see.
When the same loose and carefree Axel Foley returned in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), it was trying, and at one point, I just wished someone would punch him in the face.
Then they waited seven years and decided to make Beverly Hills Cop III, a no-brainer movie with less hope of entertaining you than a goldfish swimming in a bowl.

The script they put together for this movie felt like they were trying to test the patience of their viewers. Instead of a carefree Axel Foley, we got a more “mature” Foley.
This mature Foley was confusing. I was tired of carefree Foley in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), but that didn’t mean a more mature Foley was the answer.

Once again, we’re in Beverly Hills, California, because Axel just wouldn’t follow protocols. He was after a chop shop and decided the best way to get the bad guys was by canceling SWAT and storming the place with his team.
That backfired because the car thieves they were after stole some property of the U.S. government and planned to sell it to the new villain in the Beverly Hills Cop roster.

Because of his carelessness, one of his guys got killed by the villain, as they were outgunned. Now, clues lead Axel to Beverly Hills to find this guy and stop him.
This journey takes Axel down a path of near-death experiences for the people around him, and he gets involved in not only stopping the murderer but also ending a counterfeiting ring.

The movie was a disappointment at the box office because we were all tired of seeing Axel Foley after Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). It was heavily criticized for the portrayal of Axel Foley and Eddie Murphy’s acting.
The movie also had some of the main cast cut due to other engagements, making it impossible for them to be in the film. So, there was no Taggart or Captain Bogomil.

It was announced some time ago that a new Beverly Hills Cop is in the works, with Murphy coming back to reprise his role. I hope this time he brings back the real Axel Foley and that they make the script more interesting, with a case worth solving instead of an annoying Axel Foley.