Beverly Hills Cop is a decently amusing and organic return to the streets of Beverly Hills, California, through now-veteran city cop Axel Foley’s (Eddie Murphy) eyes. Following Foley, his estranged lawyer daughter Jane Saunders (Taylour Paige), and Saunders’ ex and fellow Beverly Hills Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the three uncover a line of crimes and cover-ups set up by a corrupt cop. Foley travels to the Hills after his daughter almost dies for her involvement in a framing victim’s court case. After the pair’s rocky reintroductions, Foley gets into trouble, throwing him into the same precinct where Abbott and fellow franchise familiar Chief John Taggart (John Ashton) work. Foley quickly connects wealthy police Captain Grant (Kevin Bacon) to the crimes he and Saunders discovered, which Taggart swiftly denies. Despite their tensions, Foley, Saunders, and Detective Abbott must (re)learn to trust each other, mending old relationships and creating new ones to stop bad cops on their own.

Surprisingly, 30 years since the most recent – and chaotic – Beverly Hills Cop installment and 40 since the original, Foley returns with welcoming amusement in Axel F. While, as CNN writer Brian Lowry puts it in his review, Axel F “only turns up the heat to a low simmer” and feeds a predictable plot to viewers, the film’s rampant action and sturdy direction- and actor-driven character work alleviate the genericness of the story and trope-y writing. Murphy fills Foley with a regretful yearning for the fatherhood he never experienced or gave his daughter, which is reflected both in their interactions and his motivation throughout. Their similarities come through quite cleverly throughout, establishing a natural strain but love-filled relationship between them – and high stakes for their failure. Paige, though often too one-toned in delivery, demands great emotional restraint when necessary, adding extra oomph to Foley’s absence. Gordon-Levitt is a boisterous addition, giving Foley a fun anti-buddy buddy cop to bounce off of. Themes of familial betrayal and law-bending necessities to stop Grant create more suspense than may be intended from the film’s lighthearted tone, but they contrast nicely. Beverly Hills also feels amusingly authentic, from the stuck-up, frightened puppy owners to the unique but overpriced restaurants, adding a friendly touch to the entire film.

The dialogue is where the film falters, as Axel F relies sometimes on canned one-liners and typical monologues. “You know, you and I? We’re way more alike than you may realize,” says a mostly intimidating Captain Grant to an arrested but defiant Foley, deflating some of his integrity. This unoriginal writing bleeds through most of the film’s runtime, but their organic deliveries by a sufficient cast almost disguise these qualms. It’s also choppily edited; through maybe three-quarters of the film, no shot lasts more than 2-4 seconds at a time, making it hard to focus. None of Axel F’s themes or character studies stand out either; corrupt cops, tense family drama, and exes are well known. However, generic does not equal poor quality, as Murphy’s humorous star power and the film’s balanced pacing between action and humanity deliver enough satisfaction. Murphy and Co. prove that Beverly Hills still has life enough for at least another (un)lawful adventure.

Overall, Axel F is a fun and more meaningful return (and conclusion?) to Foley’s fieldwork in California. Although it’s predictable, Eddie Murphy’s comedic timing, a strong core cast of characters, tense action, and a reasonably well-structured, if un-unique, narrative make this a fun way to pass the time. If this is the end, it leaves Foley in a much better place than in Beverly Hills Cop III. If not, hopefully, there’s more fun to come.

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