Beverly Hills Cop is my favorite comedy of all time, and its reputation as a classic of 1980s cinema is well earned. Its two sequels, however, are not held in as in high regard. The two follow-ups are often lumped together as lackluster efforts, which isn't fair since while Beverly Hills Cop II isn't a comedic masterpiece like the first one, it's the definitely the much stronger sequel. Having just watched the film for the first time in years, I found it to be a whole lot better than I remember. In fact, I'd say it's a quite an underrated sequel.
The best decision made by director Tony Scott and the creative team behind Beverly Hills Cop II was to bring back almost all the actors from the first movie. Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Gilbert Hill, and Paul Reiser are just as great here as they were in the original. Unlike with most sequels, nobody on screen appears to be phoning in a performance for a paycheck. The main trio of Murphy, Reinhold, and Ashton are together for a good 80% of the film, and are absolutely perfect together. The three actors share amazing chemistry as a group, making every scene with them a blast to watch. The fact that their friendship feels real is what elevates Beverly Hills Cop II from ever feeling like just an unnecessary sequel.
Beverly Hills Cop II has some of the same story beats as Beverly Hills Cop, but it never comes across as a lazy retread. The best parts of Beverly Hills Cop II are the noticeable differences from the first film. Rather than having to solve the murder of a friend, Axel must discover who shot Bogomil (Cox). Tony Scott gets a bit of suspense out of whether Bogomil will live or die, and there's a few surprisingly touching scenes between Axel and Bogomil's daughter. These scenes could have felt out of place in what is mostly a comedy, but they work quite well. What really separates Beverly Hills Cop II from the first one, as well as from most action movies in general, is that the main villain is a very intimidating woman, Karla Fry (Bridgitte Nielsen). There has been some criticism that the treatment of her character is misogynistic, though I've never seen much to support that argument. She may not be the most three-dimensional character every written, but the fact that we don't learn all that much about her makes her even more menacing. One of the best aspects to the story is that there is a hierarchy of villains. In addition to Karla, there's also the memorable Maxwell Dent (Jurgen Prochnow). The scene where Foley, Rosewood, and Taggart track down Max at the Playboy Mansion is the film's highlight, and one of the funniest scenes in any movie ever. Almost every single line in the scene is hilarious, Chris Rock gets a cool little cameo, and the scene somehow manages to be feel completely relevant to the plot.
However, the Playboy Mansion scene also draws attention to the one major flaw of Beverly Hills Cop II that keeps it from being a truly great movie: the noticeably rough editing. Martin Brest has been quoted as saying that Beverly Hills Cop was saved in the editing room, and that he was amazed at how well everything cut together. Beverly Hills Cop II should have been looked at more closely in the editing room, because it is far from seamless. Several scenes seem to end randomly without any much sense of transition or rhythm. In some instances, the editing is just downright awkward. The best example of this is in the Playboy Mansion scene. Once Foley, Rosewood, and Taggart have left the mansion and the narrative of the scene is effectively over, the camera lingers on a random party-goer dancing enthusiastically to some music. The guy's dance moves are mildly amusing, but there is no real reason for the shot to be in the movie, and it feels extremely disconnected from the rest of the scene. Beverly Hills Cop II is filled with moments in which scenes don't cut at a logical endpoint. There are three credited editors, no doubt the result of a rushed post-production schedule to get the movie out by a certain release date. None of the bad editing kills my overall enjoyment of the film, though it's impossible not to be distracted by its shoddiness at times.
With the exception of the poor editing, it's clear there was actually effort and care put into Beverly Hills Cop II, something that can't be said for sequels made in today's era. Just like with the original Beverly Hills Cop, this sequel has tremendous replay value. Though it might not be as well put together as its predecessor, Beverly Hills Cop II still works way, way better than 95% of sequels to classic comedies. 8/10
The best decision made by director Tony Scott and the creative team behind Beverly Hills Cop II was to bring back almost all the actors from the first movie. Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Gilbert Hill, and Paul Reiser are just as great here as they were in the original. Unlike with most sequels, nobody on screen appears to be phoning in a performance for a paycheck. The main trio of Murphy, Reinhold, and Ashton are together for a good 80% of the film, and are absolutely perfect together. The three actors share amazing chemistry as a group, making every scene with them a blast to watch. The fact that their friendship feels real is what elevates Beverly Hills Cop II from ever feeling like just an unnecessary sequel.
Beverly Hills Cop II has some of the same story beats as Beverly Hills Cop, but it never comes across as a lazy retread. The best parts of Beverly Hills Cop II are the noticeable differences from the first film. Rather than having to solve the murder of a friend, Axel must discover who shot Bogomil (Cox). Tony Scott gets a bit of suspense out of whether Bogomil will live or die, and there's a few surprisingly touching scenes between Axel and Bogomil's daughter. These scenes could have felt out of place in what is mostly a comedy, but they work quite well. What really separates Beverly Hills Cop II from the first one, as well as from most action movies in general, is that the main villain is a very intimidating woman, Karla Fry (Bridgitte Nielsen). There has been some criticism that the treatment of her character is misogynistic, though I've never seen much to support that argument. She may not be the most three-dimensional character every written, but the fact that we don't learn all that much about her makes her even more menacing. One of the best aspects to the story is that there is a hierarchy of villains. In addition to Karla, there's also the memorable Maxwell Dent (Jurgen Prochnow). The scene where Foley, Rosewood, and Taggart track down Max at the Playboy Mansion is the film's highlight, and one of the funniest scenes in any movie ever. Almost every single line in the scene is hilarious, Chris Rock gets a cool little cameo, and the scene somehow manages to be feel completely relevant to the plot.
However, the Playboy Mansion scene also draws attention to the one major flaw of Beverly Hills Cop II that keeps it from being a truly great movie: the noticeably rough editing. Martin Brest has been quoted as saying that Beverly Hills Cop was saved in the editing room, and that he was amazed at how well everything cut together. Beverly Hills Cop II should have been looked at more closely in the editing room, because it is far from seamless. Several scenes seem to end randomly without any much sense of transition or rhythm. In some instances, the editing is just downright awkward. The best example of this is in the Playboy Mansion scene. Once Foley, Rosewood, and Taggart have left the mansion and the narrative of the scene is effectively over, the camera lingers on a random party-goer dancing enthusiastically to some music. The guy's dance moves are mildly amusing, but there is no real reason for the shot to be in the movie, and it feels extremely disconnected from the rest of the scene. Beverly Hills Cop II is filled with moments in which scenes don't cut at a logical endpoint. There are three credited editors, no doubt the result of a rushed post-production schedule to get the movie out by a certain release date. None of the bad editing kills my overall enjoyment of the film, though it's impossible not to be distracted by its shoddiness at times.
With the exception of the poor editing, it's clear there was actually effort and care put into Beverly Hills Cop II, something that can't be said for sequels made in today's era. Just like with the original Beverly Hills Cop, this sequel has tremendous replay value. Though it might not be as well put together as its predecessor, Beverly Hills Cop II still works way, way better than 95% of sequels to classic comedies. 8/10