Retro Film Review- Beverly Hills Cop II

Eddie Murphy returns to California

Beverly Hills Cop II was an action comedy sequel directed by Tony Scott with Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson returning to produce. It was written by Larry Ferguson and Warren Skaaren.

Beverly Hills PD Captain Andrew Bogomil (Ronny Cox), Detective Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), and Sergeant John Taggart (John Ashton) are investigating a series of bank robberies called the Alphabet Crimes based on notes left by the thieves. Police Chief Harold Lutz (Allen Garfield) is angered by the bad publicity and gives them two days to find it, but Bogomil is shot and severely injured by one of the thieves. Detroit Detective Alex Foley (Eddie Murphy) hears about it and wanting to help his friends, travels there while hiding it from his boss Inspector Douglas Todd (Gil Hill). The three break protocol to stop the thieves, but run into some resistance.

I like how this one builds off its predecessor. Now, I am not prepared to say that this one is better. It has way too much on bikinis and strippers compared to the first one. Those moments took you out of what was going on. I especially rolled my eyes at Hugh Heffner’s cameo. The man was a scumbag and showing up at some sort of charity event like he was a big-time philanthropist was lame.

Aside from that, this movie was a good time. Murphy slides back into the role of Foley three years later like it was no problem. He once again owned the screen and brought on all of the comedy. There is no question that he loves the role of Foley and that love shines through.

I also appreciated how it allowed Rosewood’s character to grow. He goes from being a sort of dorky rookie in the first film to a more serious cop willing to take risks. Sometimes, they even surprise Foley. He and Murphy had some great dialogue, making for a good time.

I also liked the plot. It was a very different setup from the first one and that made it not feel like a carbon copy. It is always fun to watch these action flicks from a time when they actually cared about bringing the heat and taking a few risks.

Bottom line, Beverly Hills Cop II does a good job of building off its predecessor and building a fun thrill ride. Murphy and Reinhold were in rare form.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Strong foul language, Nudity, Heavy violence, Crude humor

FAVORITE QUOTE: Are you driving with your eyes open? Or are you, like, using “the force”?

Check out the trailer below:

What did you think? Let me know in the comments below and tell me if there’s a novel, anime, or movie you’d like me to review.