This year saw the return of fast talking detective Axel Foley played by Eddie Murphy. So of course I set out to watch the series in anticipation of his return in order to see how they stood up next to each other.

Interestingly for a series of only four films there are very few continuous threads. Normally I would find myself talking about themes you can find throughout the series or actors or behind the camera creatives that guided the franchise. But that is mostly absent throughout with different directors and writers trying to find what made the first film so much fun in the subsequent features. The only real mainstays are Harold Faltermeyer’s famous theme tune and star Eddie Murphy. Judge Reinhold is the only other actor who physically appears in every film but he is very much relegated to a minor role for the third and fourth outings.

Having watched all four of the films in the space of five days I have to say that it is only the first two films that really feel properly made from the same building blocks. Something not helped by the choice to have each film helmed by a different director and the style of humour, stomach for swearing and blockbuster tastes changing as the decades pass.

Before I jump in, if you want to read my non spoiler reviews for any of the series then please do so at the links below. Otherwise feel free to wade in and be prepared for spoilers as I will assume you have seen these films from this point on.

• Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
• Beverly Hills Cop 2 (1987)
• Beverly Hills Cop 3 (1994)
• Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

4. Beverly Hills Cop 3 (1994)

Directed by John Landis, Beverly Hills Cop 3 is the worst film in the franchise by a country mile.

Feeling more like Police Academy than Beverly Hills Cop this film makes Axel spend most of his time in a theme park whilst Billy gets a silly job title and spends little time with him. It even brings back Serge as an arms dealer!

Pros:

• Captain Todd (Gilbert R. Hall) delivers a brilliant final line to send Foley back to Beverly Hills, “Axel are you on a coffee break, go and get that son of a bitch.”

Cons:

• Literally everything else not mentioned in the Pros! But the most egregious are…
• Taggert is written out with an off hand remark about him being retired and it feels like the writers did a “find and replace” for his character to be swapped with Hector Elizondo’s
• Bogomil is completely absent and does not even get a single line in the script to explain why
• The film is set in a theme park and spends hardly any time in Beverly Hills itself
• An incredibly half baked romance plot is included for no reason
• The entire sequence where a ride falls apart because some security guards pressed some buttons which prompts Axel Foley to become a superhero rather than the grounded street cop he is

3. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

Directed by Mark Molloy, Beverley Hills Cop: Axel F is a nostalgia hit for the fans that provides a solid action movie.

Featuring all the major characters from the original this straight to Netflix movie managed to deliver on the comedy and action needed for the franchise whilst introducing some new characters.

Pros:

• The nostalgia hit is high
• Paul Reiser returning as Foley’s commanding officer is the best of the cameos
• Kevin Bacon is great fun as the slimy villain
• Focusing on partnering Foley with his daughter and her boyfriend works well and prevents the pitfalls of just trying to buddy him up with Billy and Taggert again
• Gilbert R. Hall who died in 2016 gets to appear in all the films via a photograph of him on the wall of Paul Reiser’s office

Cons:

• This is simply a solid “3 star” movie that gets more attention because of its sequel status
• A more mature Axel Foley may not be what a lot of fans of the original are interested in

2. Beverly Hills Cop 2 (1987)

Directed by Tony Scott, Beverly Hills Cop 2 is the most stylish of the franchise.

This film was always my favourite in the series as a younger man. But watching the films back to back I have to give the edge to the original which just struck gold with its format. This is the stylish pretender that comes dangerously close to matching the original.

Pros:

• Director Tony Scott and Cinematographer Jeffrey L. Kimball make this film look sumptuous
• Expertly crafted and exhilarating heists
• The trio of Foley, Billy and Taggert are back together all breaking the rules this time
• Nielsen, Prochnow and Stockwell make a fantastic villainous trio
• It follows the template of the original and makes things bigger (and sometimes better)

Cons:

• The alphabet crimes are a little too convoluted for their own good
• It never quite grasps the brilliance of the original film’s comedy
• Upping the ante on the first film’s strip club scene with a Playboy party is a little unseemly

1. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Directed by Martin Brest, the original Beverly Hills Cop is lightning in a bottle.

The original and the best. At this point in time there is no way you could convince me that any future Beverly Hills Cop sequel will better this.

Pros:

• Eddie Murphy’s charisma and motor mouth one liners are at their best here
• The Heat is On and Harald Faltermeyer’s Axel F iconic theme heard for the first time
• Foley’s sparring with the villains played by Steven Berkoff and Jonathan Banks is hilarious
• The fish out of water comedy juxtaposing Foley’s Detroit detective in Beverly Hills is great
• The buddy comedy between Foley, Billy and Taggert is at its best in this film

Cons:

• Director Martin Brest made an even better buddy comedy four years later – Midnight Run

So where would you rank the series? Is the third film as terrible as I think it is and can anything beat the lightning strike that the original film was?