Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Directed by: Martin Brest | 105 minutes | action, comedy | Actors: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Lisa Eilbacher, Steven Berkoff, James Russo, Jonathan Banks, Stephen Elliott, Paul Reiser, Gilbert R. Hill, Art Kimbro, Joel Bailey, Bronson Pinchot, Michael Champion

The script for ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ was initially written with Sylvester Stallone in the lead role, but he pulled out at the last minute. With Eddie Murphy as his replacement, the scriptwriters had to rewrite many scenes, but given the short time frame, not all of the dialogue was finished before filming. With the arrival of Eddie Murphy, the film changed from a serious police thriller into a comical action film, in which the humorous dialogues were forced to come about mainly through improvisation.

It can be seen that the actors had a lot of fun with that. During the so-called supercop scene, the actors clearly struggle to hold back their laughter. Eddie Murphy is given the freedom to shape his character, Axel Foley, as a last minute stand-in. The makers give him this space, but it is the supporting roles, who function both as the opposite of his character, but also as tellers of the jokes. The two drowsy officers of the Beverly Hills police force who excel at this, are played by Judge Reinhold and John Ashton. They play the roles of Billy Rosewood (whose last name is always misspelled as a running gag) and John Taggart. Together they are also responsible for sharp, witty dialogues. A good example of this is the scene about eating too much red meat and drinking coffee. With Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer as producers, you are assured of the necessary action scenes such as dangerous chases, over the top explosions and lavish shootings. Director Martin Brest has managed to manage all this, so that you are presented with a varied film.

When you also have access to a Grammy award-winning soundtrack, you can’t go wrong. Almost every song has become a hit and the tune composed by Harold Faltermeyer is world famous. Still, the makers made a mistake. The approach and portrayal of homosexuals in this film is of such a stereotypical and low level that it is not of this or any other time. Eddie Murphy apparently struggles to find an original approach in that area. Now this puts a blemish on this top film.