Beverly Hills Cop III

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, Jon Tenney, Joey Travolta, Hector Elizondo, Bronson Pinchot George Lucas (cameo)
Directed by: John Landis
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Action
1994

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Detroit police officer Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) once again returns to Beverly Hills, this time to track down his friend's killers, who are working behind the scenes at WonderWorld, a California theme park.

Review:

Tim: Seven years after the previous film, Beverly Hills Cop III is the completion of the trilogy, and the weakest entry in the series. With Eddie Murphy playing Axel Foley, and a decent mix of comedy and action, this film nearly reaches the heights of the previous two films, but falls just short. Still, this movie is probably more enjoyable than it easily could have been.

I loved seeing Murphy back as Axel and I enjoyed seeing Judge Reinhold playing Billy again, although his role felt far too diminished. I also missed the absence of John Ashton. He is replaced by Hector Elizondo, and although I'm usually a fan of his work, I greatly missed Ashton's presence. This film isn't the same without him. One of the best aspects of the Beverly Hills Cop franchise is having Axel Foley as the unpredictable, rule-breaking cop clashing with the by-the-book Billy and Taggart. Taggart's presence is sorely lacking here, which really throws off the film's balance.

The action scenes felt a bit more violent and weren't nearly as effective as the previous two films. There are definitely some good moments- Axel's rescue of two children on a malfunctioning amusement park ride is definitely the highlight. Sadly, the rest of the action sequences are too stupidly violent and blunt to be effective at all. This hurts the movie.

The setting of the film is also a bit questionable. The first two movies took place throughout Beverly Hills, while this one is mostly centered on the theme park. This makes the movie feel a bit different and odd. I don't necessarily think the movie should have followed the script of the first two films, but I wish the movie was told in a slightly more effective manner.

Beverly Hills Cop III is a decent movie, but one that feels like it was an afterthought, a tacked-on entry meant to capitalize on the popularity of the first two films, instead of truly trying to put out a third effective movie. I have to admit I did enjoy this movie, but I wish that it was better.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop II, 48 Hrs., Another 48 Hrs.