Beverly Hills Cop (Exclusive Series) (HBO Max)

Initial release date: December 5, 1984

Studios: Paramount Pictures/Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer Productions/Eddie Murphy Productions

Plot: After his childhood buddy is murdered while visiting Detroit, rebellious cop Axel Foley follows his leads to Beverly Hills, under the auspices of a vacation. He checks in with old friend Jenny Summers and starts to believe her boss, art dealer Victor Mailand might somehow be involved in the murder. However, Lt. Bogomil of the Beverly Hills P.D. doesn’t trust Foley, and hinders his search for evidence.

Cast

Eddie Murphy - Axel Foley

Judge Reinhold - Det. Billy Rosewood

John Ashton - Sgt. Taggart

Lisa Eilbacher - Jenny Summers

Ronny Cox - Lt. Bogomil

Steven Berkhoff - Victor Mailand

James Russo - Mikey Tandino

Jonathan Banks - Zack (same guy who plays Mike in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul!!!)

Stephen Elliot - Chief Hubbard

Gilbert H. Hall - Inspector Todd

Bronson Pinchot - Serge

Paul Reiser - Jeffrey

Writer: Daniel Petrie Jr. (In the Army Now; Toy Soldiers; Turner & Hooch)

Director: Martin Brest (Gigli; Meet Joe Black; Scent of a Woman; Midnight Run)

Rated R (105 minutes)

The ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ franchise is one of the most recognizable comedy/action franchises out there today. Even though the third movie is considered to be the worst (haven’t seen it yet), the first two movies are really entertaining. So, for the “Turner Classic Movies” Edition, I took another look at the movie that welcomed Eddie Murphy to the film industry - ‘Beverly Hills Cop.’

The 1984 buddy-cop action/comedy ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ is really hysterical and Eddie Murphy really shines in this. This hilarious comedy delivers a lot of moments that will really make you laugh hard. There are also some great action scattered throughout the movie as well.

‘Beverly Hills Cop’ features many memorable scenes, great music and a highly recognizable theme. And, in my opinion, this wise-cracking action-comedy still holds up today.

There is still some time to catch all three of the ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ movies on HBO Max. All three movies leave the streaming platform at the end of the month.

https://youtu.be/V4kWpi2HnPU

Here are a few interesting tidbits for ‘Beverly Hills Cop’:

• Murphy, Ashton and Reinhold improvised most of their comic lines. Literally hundreds of takes were ruined by cast members, actors or the director laughing during shooting. During the “super cops” monologue, Ashton is pinching his face hard and looking down in apparent frustration. He is actually laughing. Reinhold put his hand in his pocket and pinched his thigh really hard, trying to prevent himself from laughing.

• This is the first of seven Eddie Murphy movies in a row to open at No. 1 at the box office.

• This was the highest grossing R rated movie in the US until ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ eclipsed it 19 years later.

• The completed movie made such an impression on Paramount execs that they committed to a sequel moments after the first private exec screening of the completed movie.

• Spawned two sequels: ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’ (1987) and ‘Beverly Hills Cop III’ (1994). The second was met with mixed reviews but was a hit, while the third flopped.

• On November 14, 2019, Paramount made a one time license deal with an option for a sequel to Netflix to create a potential fourth movie.

https://youtu.be/oc3sPICXZLs