‘Axel, you on a coffee break? Go get that son of a bitch…’
Beverly Hills Cop was not only one of the best films of the ’80s but it’s also one of the best buddy cop movies ever made. It’s a genuine masterpiece. The sequel, while not quite as good as the source material, more than justifies its own existence. The third entry, however, is a massive step down in quality…
Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back in Los Angeles, this time for reasons that stretch the credulity of the premise to breaking point. While attempting to foil a car theft ring, Foley stumbles across something much bigger – a counterfeit money operation running out of a theme park. Judge Reinhold returns. Timothy Carhart and John Saxon make for a pair of enjoyable new recruits to the franchise – the former as the big bad and the latter as a police chief. Unfortunately, it’s simply not enough.
Despite another spirited performance from Murphy, BHCIII is the very definition of diminishing returns. The action set pieces are tired and derivative. The humour stale. While it’s not as bad as some people would have you believe (the film’s 10% Rotten Tomatoes rating is very harsh) it’s hard to argue that this third entry is bringing anything new to what is otherwise an exceptional franchise. Director John Landis, as well as being an absolute piece of shit by all accounts, can’t quite nail the tone of this threequel, either in terms of plot or aesthetics.
Beverly Hills Cop III has its moments and it’s almost worth it just to see Murphy back as Foley but unnecessary cameos from George Lucas and Joe Dante point to the fact that this is a film that is out of ideas.
