Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F released on Netflix to mostly positive reviews. The latest entry into the long-running action-comedy series has not only shown the comedic chops of Eddie Murphy as Detroit cop turned Beverly Hills, well, cop Axel Foley to a whole new generation but it’s also piqued their interest in the classic Beverly Hills Cop series. For those looking to get into the Beverly Hills Cop series, we put together a comprehensive ranking of the films worst-to-best that will give newcomers a good idea of which entries to prioritize. For those who have seen the films, this should be a charming blast from the past. So, without further ado, here’s the Beverly Hills Cop series ranked.
4. Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
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Wasted potential doesn’t even begin to cover it. After seven years, Eddie Murphy decided to give the Axel Foley character another go. This time, the conceit was that the latest film was to be set in a Disneyland-style amusement park called “Wonder World.” It’s an amusing enough set-up wrecked by everyone involved seeming like they’d rather do anything else. Longtime comedy director and controversial figure John Landis has no visual imagination when it comes to staging an action sequence. In contrast to the sizzling energy Tony Scott brought to the prior film, Foley’s shenanigans in an amusement park fail to amuse. Beverly Hills Cop III‘s flat, bland cinematic language is the smokescreen for deeper issues.
After setting the plot in motion by killing off series mainstay Inspector Douglas Todd (Gil Hill), Beverly Hills Cop III fails to find momentum. Eddie Murphy looks bored throughout, throwing out half-hearted wisecracks that rarely land. The same goes for Judge Reinhold, returning as Billy Rosewood. At least Bronson Pinchot seems to be having some fun, coming back to the side character of Serge from the first film in a beefed-up role. Nothing can save a movie that’s disinterested in itself, however. Beverly Hills Cop III isn’t funny, exciting, or even notably bad; it’s simply a colossal waste of time that scared Eddie Murphy off from doing another entry in the Beverly Hills Cop series for a while.
3. Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
Beverly Hills Cop II is the Bad Boys II of the franchise. That comparison comes from Beverly Hills Cop II being a considerably better-looking, more over-the-top sequel that bears a much stronger sense of a directorial mark than its beloved predecessor. The late, great Tony Scott (Top Gun, turns Beverly Hills into a sun-drenched noir playground as photographed by Mission: Impossible II director of photography Jeffrey L. Kimball. The Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy), Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), and John Taggart (John Ashton) trio of larger-than-life, lovable troublemakers whose natural chemistry keeps the entertainment value at a high. The score by Harold Faltermeyer gets a big boost, too, interpolated in adrenaline-pumping, anthemic ways unmatched by the rest of the franchise.
Essentially, Beverly Hills Cop II has refined the Beverly Hills Cop series’ vibe down to a science. What holds it back is that the bones it’s built on are brittle. As fun as it is to see Axel Foley smooth talk his way through a situation, the gags aren’t as memorable this time around. Moreover, the villain Maxwell Dent (Jürgen Prochnow) makes next to zero the impression his woefully underused heavy- Brigitte Nielsen in full femme fatale mode- does.
Larry Ferguson and Warren Skaaren‘s screenplay is adept at depicting the politics of the Beverly Hills precinct politics and less so building an intriguing story around the central “Alphabet Bandit” mystery. All the same, Beverly Hills Cop II remains a compulsively entertaining showcase of ’80s action filmmaking that needed more time in the oven narratively.
2. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)
In a way, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is an inverse of Beverly Hills Cop II. Though looking significantly better than a lot of Netflix releases, it doesn’t ooze the same style as II. Unlike that film, Axel F has it where it counts: characterization and jokes. Eddie Murphy rarely looks so happy to be in a movie. Seeing him reunited with Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, and Bronson Pinchot- all who get something interesting to do- is a delight. Furthermore, placing the comedy front and center leads to all sorts of hijinks, especially with Axel’s criminal defense attorney daughter (Taylour Paige), her ex-boyfriend (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and Axel all butting heads as the new blood clashes with the old school.
Although the screenplay is nothing special, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F contains strong thematic tissue on lost bonds, corruption, and staying true to yourself. The story may be a bit routine and predictable, but it services the Beverly Hills Cop characters and world as well as possible. Most importantly, passion radiates through the project. This may be the feature directorial debut of Mark Molloy, but it’s Eddie Murphy’s baby all the way. Knowing which elements to prioritize, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is as good as it gets for Beverly Hills Cop sequels.
1. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
In the realm of ’80s comedies, Beverly Hills Cop is perfect. Directed by Martin Brest and written by Daniel Petrie Jr., the original film that bolstered Eddie Murphy’s already meteoric rise has all the elements for a successful action-comedy. The opening stretch is a hoot in its own right, introducing Axel Foley as a very unorthodox Detroit cop whose renegade charm ends up blowing an undercover operation. Out of the gate, the character of Foley is affable, fully formed even, to the point where the audience lets their guard down. Once Foley’s best friend Mikey Tandino (James Russo) is murdered in front of Foley by a shadowy group operating out of Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills Cop hits the gas and doesn’t let up.
Beverly Hills Cop has it all. The fish-out-of-water comedy is delightful as Foley goes down to Beverly Hills to investigate. Murphy’s natural charisma makes the clash of his roguish, blue-collar nature with the buttoned-up Beverly Hills Police Department and glitzy California culture downright hilarious. A cavalcade of funny situations and oddball supporting characters (here’s looking at you Bronson Pinchot) keeps the entertainment value high. The nature of the storyline, which anchors the antics in a hard-boiled investigation that takes Foley into corruption in the business world, gives gravitas and intrigue to anchor the comedy.
But it’s the heart of Beverly Hills Cop—Axel Foley’s frenemy relationship with BHPD officers Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton)—that makes it hold up so well. Seeing these three riff off each other, slowly going from opposing forces to the unlikely best of friends, is timeless. Hell, that’s just Beverly Hills Cop: timeless. It’s the best version of the marriage of character comedy with police procedural that became so popular in the ’80s. If pure ’80s entertainment is what you seek, Beverly Hills Cop is always the right choice.
The Beverly Hills Cop series has its highs and lows, but at the least, the original is an absolute classic.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is streaming now, exclusively on Netflix.
