Summary Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F reunites memorable franchise characters and features Eddie Murphy reprising his role as Axel Foley. The film follows Foley's estranged daughter, Jane, as they join forces to uncover a conspiracy within the Beverly Hills Police Department. Returning characters include Billy Rosewood, John Taggart, and Serge, while Paul Reiser's character, Jeffrey Friedman, has a significant role as Axel's boss.
Watching Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, the fourth installment in the Beverly Hills Cop film series, is like entering a time machine. The wave of nostalgia that extends throughout the film revolves around Eddie Murphy, who reprises the role of wisecracking Detroit cop Axel Foley, who once again travels to Beverly Hills to settle personal and police business, nearly 40 years after the now 63-year-old Murphy debuted as Foley in Beverly Hills Cop.
While Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F has received mixed reviews, longtime viewers of the franchise have found the film to be pleasantly soothing as a nostalgic exercise, especially in terms of how Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F reunites Foley with the franchise's most memorable supporting characters. Here is a list of every returning character.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F RActionComedyCrime 2/5
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley is the fourth film in the popular comedy franchise starring Eddie Murphy. Murphy returns as Axel Foley in the Netflix film alongside returning cast members Judge Reinhold and John Ashton and Bronson Pinchot as Serge. Kevin Bacon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt also star in the sequel as new characters.
Release Date July 3, 2024 Director Mark Molloy Cast Eddie Murphy , Kevin Bacon , John Ashton , Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Paul Reiser , Judge Reinhold Runtime 1h 55m Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley Close
Following Eddie Murphy's star-making performance in the hit 1982 buddy cop action comedy film 48 Hrs., Murphy achieved superstardom in 1984 with the release of Beverly Hills Cop, which introduced Murphy's Axel Foley character as a street-smart but immature Detroit cop who travels to Beverly Hills to investigate the murder of his best friend.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, which is set 30 years after the events of the abysmal Beverly Hills Cop III, opens with Axel still practicing his unconventional brand of police work in his native Detroit until Axel is drawn back to Beverly Hills to protect his estranged daughter, Los Angeles defense lawyer Jane, whose life is threatened after taking on the case of an accused cop killer. After one of Axel's old friends goes missing, Axel and Jane join forces to unearth a conspiracy within the Beverly Hills Police Department.
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Judge Reinhold as Billy Rosewood Close
Besides Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, who reprises the role of Billy Rosewood in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, has the distinction of being the only actor to have appeared in all four installments of the Beverly Hills Cop film series. While Billy appeared as a detective in the first two installments before becoming a sergeant in Beverly Hills Cop III, Billy is introduced in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F as a disillusioned former cop who had a falling out with former partner John Taggart, played by John Ashton.
Billy retired from the police force after clashing with the villainous Captain Grant, played by Kevin Bacon, and Billy's estrangement from Taggart resulted from Taggart's previous support of Grant. Now a private detective, one of Billy's investigations fuels the plot of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, specifically in terms of Billy's disappearance, which inspires Axel and Axel's daughter, Jane, to work together to find Billy.
John Ashton as John Taggart Close
One of the many problems with Beverly Hills Cop III is the absence of John Ashton as Beverly Hills police officer John Taggart, whose partnership with Billy Rosewood provides valuable comedic support in the first two films. While Ashton's absence from Beverly Hills III was due to a scheduling conflict, the film explains that Taggart retired from the police force and moved to Arizona.
In Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Taggart explains that he un-retired due to reconciling with his wife and the subsequent desire to spend less time at home with her. The bigger news is that Taggart has become police chief of Beverly Hills and is therefore in proximity to the film's primary villain, Captain Grant, who was formerly Taggart's protégé. Regardless of his lofty status, Taggart is always ready to return to action to help his friends.
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Bronson Pinchot as Serge Close
One of the comedic highlights of Beverly Hills Cop is the scene in which Axel Foley visits an art gallery and encounters a flamboyant salesman, Serge, played by Bronson Pinchot. Despite Serge's brief appearance in the film, Serge's inability to pronounce Axel's name immortalized Serge as being one of the franchise's most beloved supporting characters.
While Serge doesn't appear in Beverly Hills Cop II, the character is featured in Beverly Hills Cop III, in which Serge owns a boutique weapons store called Serge's Survival Boutique. In Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Serge is living the good life, as evidenced by his luxurious sports car and pink loafers. Moreover, Serge assists Axel's investigation by helping Axel gain access to a Beverly Hill mansion, which Axel believes is the base of operations for a drug cartel.
Paul Reiser as Jeffrey Friedman Close
One of the biggest character changes in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F involves Paul Reiser's return to the role of Jeffrey Friedman, a Detroit cop who was introduced as Axel Foley's friend and sometime partner in Beverly Hills Cop but appears in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F as Axel's boss, replacing the late Inspector Todd.
As Jeffrey, who last appeared in Beverly Hills Cop II, previously covered up for Axel's questionable actions, Jeffrey, as police chief, is still willing to take risks to protect Axel, mainly due to Jeffrey's belief that Axel won't be able to survive without being a cop, but also warns Axel that Axel's childish antics are unsustainable and that even Axel has to grow up eventually.
