BEVERLY HILLS COP is one of the films that kick-started the action-comedy movie that ruled the 1980s. Films like LETHAL WEAPON and their ilk wouldn't have existed if Eddie Murphy hadn't come along to begin with and show them how it's done.
I'll admit, right away, that I'm no Murphy fan. I've seen him in a couple of okayish movies (THE GOLDEN CHILD, METRO) but most of his filmography I wouldn't go near. BEVERLY HILLS COP presents him at his most successful and most commercial, full of wisecracks and edgy humour. Watching him go up against the staid, by-the-book-cops is a lot of fun.
The film has dated quite a lot. The story feels a little bland and not much happens. Some of it's repetitive, and other scenes feel extraneous. There are a bunch of familiar faces (Ronny Cox, Steven Berkoff, Paul Reiser) but the really interesting roles go to Judge Reinhold and John Ashton. Watching the effect Murphy's character has on them is a lot of fun.
That's good, because the action is fairly routine and there are no twists that you won't work out well in advance. In fact, I think this would be a pretty pedestrian film were it not for Murphy's larger-than-life turn. He brings the vital life and energy that helped turn this into a classic.
I'll admit, right away, that I'm no Murphy fan. I've seen him in a couple of okayish movies (THE GOLDEN CHILD, METRO) but most of his filmography I wouldn't go near. BEVERLY HILLS COP presents him at his most successful and most commercial, full of wisecracks and edgy humour. Watching him go up against the staid, by-the-book-cops is a lot of fun.
The film has dated quite a lot. The story feels a little bland and not much happens. Some of it's repetitive, and other scenes feel extraneous. There are a bunch of familiar faces (Ronny Cox, Steven Berkoff, Paul Reiser) but the really interesting roles go to Judge Reinhold and John Ashton. Watching the effect Murphy's character has on them is a lot of fun.
That's good, because the action is fairly routine and there are no twists that you won't work out well in advance. In fact, I think this would be a pretty pedestrian film were it not for Murphy's larger-than-life turn. He brings the vital life and energy that helped turn this into a classic.