July 3, 2024
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is a 2024 American action comedy film directed by Mark Molloy, written by Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten from a story by Beall, the fourth installment in the Beverly Hills Cop film series and a sequel to Beverly Hills Cop III (1994). Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot reprise their roles from previous films in the franchise, while Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, and Kevin Bacon star in new roles. The film was Ashton's final role during his lifetime and as the character John Taggart, as he died two months following its release.
In the film, Axel Foley has returned to Beverly Hills after his daughter Jane and his old colleague Billy Rosewood's lives are threatened. She and Axel team up with her ex-boyfriend Bobby Abbott and Axel's other Beverly Hills friends, John Taggart and Serge, to uncover a conspiracy.
The film entered development in the mid-1990s, under Murphy's production company. Various directors and screenwriters were attached over the years, including the filmmaking duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, but the project had faced multiple issues and has undergone development hell. In April 2022, Molloy was hired to direct, with production beginning in California that August. Jerry Bruckheimer returned as producer, after working on the first two films in the series.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F was released on the streaming service Netflix on July 3, 2024. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was the most streamed film on Netflix for almost two weeks.
Storyline
Axel Foley remains a Detroit police detective under the supervision of his friend, Deputy Chief Jeffrey Friedman. In pursuit of a group of thieves looting the Detroit Red Wings' locker room during a game, Axel's ensuing chase causes costly damage to the city. Jeffrey retires to protect Axel from being punished and encourages Axel to reconnect with his estranged daughter Jane Saunders, a defense attorney in Los Angeles, while waiting for things to cool off from that bust. Billy Rosewood, now working as a private investigator after having had a falling out with his former longtime partner John Taggart and resigning from the police force, also calls Axel, warning him that Jane's life is in danger. He has been aiding Jane as she represents Sam Enriquez — framed for the murder of an undercover officer Copeland. After the call, Rosewood recovers evidence from the vehicle in which the murder took place, but is kidnapped by the cartel. Axel returns to Beverly Hills, concerned when Rosewood does not respond to his calls. He visits Rosewood's office and finds a suspicious team searching for something. Axel removes a page out of Rosewood's personal organizer, then is chased by the group through Rodeo Drive and is arrested. Taken to the Beverly Hills Police Department, Axel is met by Detective Bobby Abbott, Jane's ex-boyfriend, and reunites with Taggart, who is now police chief. Taggart introduces Axel to Captain Cade Grant, whom he mentored as a young police cadet. Upon meeting Grant, Axel distrusts him immediately as he is wearing excessively expensive items for someone on a police salary. Jane bails out her father, but resists his attempts to reconnect with her. It is revealed that, years ago during an investigation of the Detroit mafia, Axel and his family were threatened. Following the threats Jane and her mother moved back to Los Angeles, but he remained in Detroit and the couple got divorced. The two recover a camera from the car where Copeland was murdered and deduce Grant's team were looking for an SD card containing evidence. The next day, Axel and Jane are ambushed on Wilshire Boulevard but saved by Abbott in a shootout. Axel questions Taggart about his leadership and Axel's suspicions about Grant; Taggart vehemently defends Grant and his team, shuts out Axel, and suspends Abbott. The address Axel found in Rosewood's organizer proves to be a mansion owned by Grant and used as a cartel money laundering operation. Axel enlists his friend Serge's help to gain access to the mansion by posing as potential buyers of the property next door. Axel finds more evidence that links to Copeland's murder. Grant is notified of their presence by surveillance. After arguing with Jane, Axel and Abbott seek help from Enriquez's uncle, Chalino, head of the cartel. He tells them that Grant helps protect the cartel, and reveals a drug shipment is leaving the port that night. Abbott and Axel are framed and arrested for drug possession by Grant. Axel escapes custody and steals a helicopter with a reluctant Abbott's aid. They fly to the Beverly Hills Police Station, where Grant shoots the rotor, causing them to crash but survive. Taggart witnesses the incident and is convinced of the corruption within his own team. He agrees to assist Jane with the pending investigation, but she is later kidnapped by Grant's thugs. Axel and Abbott go to the port where the cartel is operating. They find Rosewood being held there; they free him and are heading to retrieve the SD card Rosewood hid, in his Rambo's knife, when Grant calls to announce he is holding Jane. With Jeffrey's aid, the trio triangulate her location at the cartel mansion. Axel, Rosewood, Abbott and Taggart engage in a firefight against Grant's cartel army. During the fight, Jane escapes captivity. Axel and Grant face off; Axel is shot while protecting Jane, and Grant is shot in the head by Abbott. In the aftermath, Rosewood and Taggart make peace. With the recovered evidence, the charges against Enriquez are dropped, and during his hospitalization Axel makes amends with Jane. A few days later, Axel reunites with both Rosewood and Taggart, who were on stakeout to ensure Axel completes his hospitalization; Axel successfully persuades the two to join him out for dinner.
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