Vol. 17, No. 21 – July 10 – July 23, 2024 – Movie Review

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F – Netflix

3 out of 4 palm trees
Breeze rating from 1 to 4 palm trees, 4 being best.

After pursuing robbers on motorcycles in a snow plow through the streets of Detroit, Axel Foley’s (Eddie Murphy) antics finally forced his boss Jeffery to retire to protect Axel. Axel’s friend Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), former Beverly Hills Police Officer turned P.I. was working on a case with Axel’s daughter Jane Saunders (Taylour Paige) who was serving as a defense attorney in LA.

The same day Jane accused a prominent police officer of being dirty in court, her car was hooked by a chain and dropped over the side of the building, leaving her hanging 50ft above the ground.

Billy called Axel to let him know Jane was in trouble, so Axel headed to L.A. Billy never showed to pick up Axel, and when Axel got to Billy’s office he found two guys inside searching the place. Axel escaped by a stealing a parking meter cart, but crashed it, was arrested and turned over to Beverly Hills Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Axel called his Jane, who promptly hung up on him, so he called back and agreed to tell Jane what Billy said if she helped him.

It was immediately evident that Bobby and Jane had been in a relationship. Axel got called to Taggart’s office where he met Captain Cade Grant (Kevin Bacon) who ran the interdepartmental narcotics task force. Grant said that Jane was representing a cop killer that killed a member of his team named Copeland. Upon leaving the station, Jane said the last time she heard from Billy he was down at the impound checking something out, so they both went to the impound together.

The car had been broken into the night before and they found a hidden camera in car vent, but the SD card was missing. Jane said her client Enriquez was framed and the camera would have video of Copeland’s death. Axel realized they were being followed by the same thugs from Billy’s office and followed them to an elite club where they found the two thugs hanging out with Grant.

Bobby talked to Taggart at the station and when he left ended up in a shoot out to protect Axel and Jane, while Axel tried to flee crashing into multiple cars. Taggart reamed Axel and Bobby, and when Axel questioned if Taggart was involved with Grant, so he kicked Axel out of his office and suspended Bobby. Bobby and Axel decided it would be good to talk to Enriquez’s uncle Chalino who told them that Grant was the top dog using dirty cops to protect the cartel’s drug interests.

When they left they were surrounded by Grant’s men who had planted drugs in Bobby’s trunk and took them to jail. Axel got out of his handcuffs, freed Bobby and heading to the roof to escape where a police helicopter was parked. Bobby was a helicopter pilot, but lacked confidence due to previously crashing a helicopter. They crashed on a golf course and stole a golf cart, then stole a car and after went to the port and saw a delivery truck from the cartel mansion and Billy’s car.

They found Billy and fled in the delivery truck that was packed with drug filled statues. When Axel tried to call Jane, Grant answered and told Axel he had Jane and needed the SD card. Axel called Jeffery to track Jane’s phone and found she was at the cartel mansion, so he crashed through the gate and into the front of the mansion. Taggart headed to the scene and joined the gun fight.

Jane shot a man trying to sneak up on Axel, but then Grant fired at Jane, so Axel jumped in front of her and got shot in the shoulder. At the same time, Bobby came around the corner and shot Grant in the head. When Jane went to visit Axel in the hospital, she found him in his hospital gown at the diner across the street. Jane told Axel Grant’s men all went to jail and her client was released due to the evidence on the SD card.

Runtime: 1h 55m

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