Forty years after the original Beverly Hills Cop landed in theaters and became an enduring pop culture phenomenon, Eddie Murphy is back as Axel Foley in the franchise’s fourth entry, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. His iconic earworm theme is also back.
“I like that song, and it’s been around in the lexicon for years and years,” the actor gushed, recalling the original track, Axel F, by German musician Harold Faltermeyer, which went on to become an international smash hit, topping the charts in several countries. “The Beverly Hills Cop album won a Grammy for Best Soundtrack, and you hear that song all the time. I like it.”
“I have my little theme music like James Bond or Indiana Jones. It’s nostalgic, too. There are few songs that sound more like the 80s. It’s such an 80s song. When you hear it takes you back to the summer of 1984.”
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, which is streaming on Netflix, is the first film in the series since the lacklustre misstep Beverly Hills Cops III 20 years ago. This time, when his daughter’s life is threatened, Axel Foley, played by Murphy, returns to Beverly Hills and teams up with old friends Taggart and Rosewood to bring down those responsible.
“What would make him have to come out here again? He’s supposed to be retired, so what would make Axel Foley bring his old ass back to Beverly Hills?” Murphy said with a laugh. “He’s out to save his daughter because she’s in danger. They’re mending their relationship and solving this crime. It really worked out great, the whole having that relationship with his daughter thing was the glue that made this whole thing come together.”
“Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the original film, made them put all those elements in. That’s what was missing. If we’re going to do Beverly Hills Cop with Axel Foley now, we’ve got to have some age-appropriate relationships; he’s been married, he’s estranged from his daughter, and Jerry had all of that stuff put in the subtext, and that’s what makes the movie work.”
However, Bruckheimer, the legendary producer behind such classics as Top Gun, Bad Boys, and Con Air, as well as the first two Beverly Hills Cop movies, credits the magic to something else.
“It’s called Eddie Murphy. It’s really that simple,” he said. “He’s a brilliant actor and comedian, and he can do anything. He’s a terrific dramatic actor, he can turn the charm on any time he wants, he’s got that big smile, that great laugh and you want to be with him. He’s someone you want to hang out with. The fact that we got to put him on the screen again, we’re thrilled about.”
The producer knows anticipation is high for the film, directed by Mark Molloy, the first not to be released theatrically, and hopes the audience will log in and watch.
“That’s why we make them, to get them excited, and hopefully, their excitement will get them to turn on their TV and punching for Beverly Hills Cop. We want them to see Axel Foley in all his glory coming back 40 years after the first one. He hasn’t lost any of his sense of humor or his charm.”
“Mark made a terrific film. He captured all the energy from the first two, the comedy and the drama, and nailed what Beverly Hills Cop should be. There’s nothing like having a director that the actor likes, and they get along, and they have this improv and fun with the movies, and they laugh and have a good time with it.”
In 1984, Beverly Hills Cop grossed $234 million at the domestic box office against a budget of $13 million. It was the highest-grossing film released in the U.S. in 1984 and was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. After many years of a fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie being planned and discussed and a TV show that never got off the ground, Murphy is encouraged by the level of anticipation.
“I’m happy that people are excited about seeing it. I knew there was an audience because the movie’s been on all the time,” said the actor, who is also a producer of the latest film. “The only reason anything is on TV is because somebody’s watching it, and Beverly Hills Cop is on all the time, so I knew there was an audience for it. I’m happy it heated up, and people really want to see it.”
“Beverly Hills Cop is 40 years old. How old were you when it came out? The Pope was 45 when Beverly Hills Cop came out. Even the Pope, when he sees the commercial, will be like, ‘I remember when this first came out. I wasn’t even in the church then. I was just a regular guy in the world.'”
Murphy is one of many returning cast members from the earlier films. Judge Reinhold and John Ashton are back as Billy Rosewood and John Taggart respectively. Elsewhere, Bronson Pinchot reprises his iconic Serge, and Paul Reiser is back as Jeffrey “This is not my office” Friedman. Joining the cast for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F are Zola’s Taylour Paige as Axel’s daughter Jane Foley, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Detective Bobby Abbott, and Kevin Bacon as Captain Grant.
“Kevin is one of the most solid actors in this business for years and years. I’m a big fan,” Murphy enthused. “I love Kevin, and he’s wonderful in this movie. One of the reasons the third Beverly Hills Cop was a kind of soft was because we didn’t have a really strong villain in it. The first two had strong villains, and Kevin is perfect for that. Joseph is a great actor and pumped new life into it. We needed him and Taylour. Their relationship in the movie and their performances are just what it needed.”
Murphy believes the enduring appeal of his iconic Detroit cop character is due in large part to his relatability and fallibility.
“I think Axel Foley is like Rocky and Indiana Jones,” he said. “He’s one of those characters who are everyman who rise to the occasion. Rocky is not like Superman; he’s the everyman who gets his shot. Indiana Jones is running and all that and almost gets killed. In every other scene, he’s almost dying; he’s sweating, and you see how hard it is. Axel’s an everyman, especially now with the last ten or 15 years where it’s been all about superheroes, people flying and doing all this stuff. Axel Foley is just this guy; he’s a regular dude, not extra made-up, not cool with the hair and stuff; he’s a regular guy in regular clothes who is just trying to get the job done. Audiences can relate to this guy.”
When it comes to whether this will be the last time we see Axel Foley in action, Bruckheimer says it all depends on the audience and whether enough people watch it enough times and want more.
“It’s up to you guys,” he admitted. “If you want us to make one and the audience shows up, we’ll raise our hand.”
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