With Eddie Murphy making a full-fledged return to acting (“Coming 2 America” is coming soon, and “Beverly Hills Cop 4” is in the works), over three days we’re looking back at his most famous role, Axel Foley in the “Beverly Hills Cop” series:
At a disadvantage
It’s not unusual for the third film to be the weakest of a trilogy, but “Beverly Hills Cop III” (1994) is bizarre for the manner in which it’s the weakest.
It doesn’t go too big; indeed, Eddie Murphy seems to make a conscious effort to tone down the broad personality of Axel Foley and show the details of him working his most complex case so far. He doesn’t do the trademark laugh even once.
Rather, director John Landis’ film goes too small with its loose editing and long stretches without a score or soundtrack; this is the first time the “BHC” franchise flirts with being dull.
Action franchises like to cash in on goodwill and familiar faces, so this entry from “Die Hard” writer Steven de Souza is at a disadvantage from the outset. John Ashton’s Taggart has retired, Ronny Cox’s Bogomil goes unmentioned, and Detroit PD comic relief Jeffrey (Paul Reiser) is out of the picture, too.
At least Billy (Judge Reinhold) is back, but it’s not the same without the complete buddy trio, even though new No. 3 man Flint (Hector Elizondo) might’ve ably filled Taggart’s old slot once we got used to him.
Best plot of the trilogy
De Souza pens the best plot of the trilogy, with one character bouncing like a pinball between seeming to be a good guy or a bad guy, with behavior and dialog that could be interpreted either way.
As Axel and his allies track counterfeiters – led by Timothy Carhart’s Ellis De Wald — operating in the tunnels of the Wonder World theme park, “BHC3” is the series’ first film where the mystery plot dominates. The writer also delves into parody as Billy is the proud liaison between all kinds of alphabet agencies in the Los Angeles area.
While I didn’t necessarily want something extreme like a “Lethal Weapon” sequel, I’m disappointed that “BHC3” doesn’t include memorable action or hijinks from Axel. Too often it seems like any good movie cop could solve this case; it doesn’t require that special Foley touch.
Early in the film, Axel rescues kids from a Ferris wheel in a sequence that has nothing to do with anything else. It’s decently shot by Landis and has smooth compositing effects, but it lacks tension. It’s the first of many sequences where the music and editing aren’t up to the energetic standards of the first two films (but I do like the “Axel F” remix when it does pop up).
Short on laughs
In addition to Foley nixing his classic guffaw, I wasn’t laughing much either. One highlight is Bronson Pinchot’s return as Serge (“Surge” to Axel). The former art gallery host now mans a booth at an expo for “private law enforcement.” Pinchot’s humorously accented performance sells the sequence despite the fact that he’s pitching the ridiculous Annihilator 2000. I’m not joking when I say this is a combination of gun, rocket launcher, CD player and microwave.
“BHC3” itself is joking, on some level, by introducing the Annihilator 2000. And yet it is part of this world so we have to take it somewhat seriously. It’s a prime example of how weird this film’s tone is.
As always, the case is personal to Axel. We open with a well-staged Detroit shootout that ends in the death of Inspector Todd (Gil Hill). Axel is more mature now: He stays in an affordable motel, discusses the case with Billy and Flint in detail rather than running off half-cocked, and – in his first romance of the series — flirts in fairly chaste fashion with theme park employee Janice (“Bad Boys’ ” Theresa Randle).
Dark story in bright setting
In a way, it’s a darker film. Even the biggest “Axel being Axel” piece is not for the sake of laughs: Foley climbs a stage amid an award ceremony to fete De Wald with fake praise, as he knows this slimeball killed Todd; all that remains is to gather evidence against him.
Yet so much of the action takes place at colorful Wonder World, where Axel goes undercover in an elephant costume for a long stretch, that any grimness is wiped out. But with these bad guys being savvy and nearly taking out Axel multiple times – and with our sense that there’s a double agent among Axel’s allies – “BHC3” can’t build up a sense of fun, either.
It isn’t all bad: We get one last blast of Axel Foley, plus Billy, plus the ’90s “Axel F” remix. Although plot isn’t usually the reason to watch an action film, de Souza gives us one we can latch onto, and while his attempts at parody are weird, I can’t blame him for trying. But there’s no denying that Axel Foley’s edge has been dulled with “Beverly Hills Cop III.”