Eddie Murphy’s Hero Returns in ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ Sequel

By Rollo Ross

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – After more than a decade of superheroes dominating the big screen, Eddie Murphy returns to a beloved character he calls “every man.”

Murphy steps back into the role of Axel Foley in “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” a fresh addition to the action-comedy series that started back in 1984. The new movie will be available on Netflix starting Wednesday.

“For 10-15 years, everything was CG (computer-generated), big visual effects and superheroes and people saving the day wearing capes and tight suits,” Murphy said in an interview.

“I knew eventually it would have to get back to this,” he added. “It used to be stuff was character-driven and story-driven and that’s going to always work.”

The latest film sees wise-cracking detective Foley returning to his roots in Detroit, only to find out his estranged daughter is in trouble in Beverly Hills. He heads back to reconnect with her and get to the bottom of the case.

Foley “is not Superman,” Murphy explained. “He’s every man, every guy who doesn’t play by the rules. He’s the kind of guy you want to have a beer with.”

This fourth installment, the first since 1994, strives to maintain the flavor of the original films without relying on modern-day special effects. Audiences will see real-life stunts, including an intense helicopter chase across Los Angeles.

“What was more difficult was all the physical stuff,” Murphy said. “I’m in my 60s now and I did the first one (at) 21 years old, so you can imagine the differences.”

Returning stars Judge Reinhold and John Ashton are back in action, alongside new faces like Kevin Bacon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Bacon expressed his admiration for the film’s old-school stunts, noting that it has become challenging to wow audiences with just computer-generated effects.

“If you put a truck driving and it knocks the door off a cop car, and you see Joe in the middle saying ‘there’s no seatbelt’, that’s like, to me, that’s a wow,” Bacon said.

“That’s much more satisfying, I think, for people now because I think we’re just kind of numb to all the other stuff.”

Murphy revealed that multiple attempts had been made over the years to bring the franchise back, but none of the scripts had the “emotional hook” found in the storyline between Foley and his now-adult daughter.

“The movie is really about this father reconciling with his daughter,” Murphy said. “Once we added that to it, everything just fell into place. That’s the glue that holds the whole movie together.”

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Writing by Rollo Ross; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Source: Reuters