Beverly Hills Cop 4: Eddie Murphy returns with latest installment

WEB DESK: The trailer for “Beverly Hills Cop 4” dropped on Wednesday, striking a nostalgic chord with millennials enough to amass over 4 million views on YouTube.

The fourth installment in the Eddie Murphy-led franchise has generated buzz among the general audience, although critics remain cautiously critical. This comes in the wake of Murphy’s post-90s career, marked by more flops than hits, including memorable missteps such as “Norbit.”

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The trailer embodies the chaotic and quintessential Eddie Murphy trademark as strongly as any of his previous works.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is the fourth installment in the action-comedy series featuring Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley. The movie is directed by Mark Molloy and written by Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten. The movie follows Axel Foley’s return to Beverly Hills amidst ongoing conflict.

The movie had a protracted development period since its initial announcement in the mid-1990s under Eddie Murphy Productions. Various directors and screenwriters, including Brett Ratner and Adil El Arbi, were attached over the years. The movie faced multiple setbacks, stuck in development limbo for decades.

Mark Molloy finally took over as director in April 2022, with filming starting in California later that August.

Eddie Murphy reprising his role as Axel Foley, alongside returning cast members Judge Reinhold as Billy Rosewood, John Ashton as John Taggart, Paul Reiser as Jeffrey Friedman, and Bronson Pinchot as Serge.

New additions include Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Detective Bobby Abbott, Taylour Paige as Axel’s daughter Jane Saunders, and Kevin Bacon as Captain Cade Grant, the film’s antagonist.

Beverly Hills Cop 4 premiered on Netflix on Wednesday. The storyline follows Axel Foley’s comeback to Beverly Hills after his daughter Jane faces a life-threatening situation. Teaming up with her ex-boyfriend Detective Bobby Abbott and his former colleagues Rosewood and Taggart, they unravel a conspiracy amidst rising tensions.

Post-production for the movie included editing by Dan Lebental and a score composed by Lorne Balfe, featuring the single “Here We Go!” performed by Lil Nas X.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F has so far received mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes reported a 65 per cent approval rating based on 98 reviews. While Eddie Murphy’s performance was praised, many pointed to the movie’s heavy reliance on nostalgia.

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Eddie Murphy and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have even confirmed plans for a fifth installment in the Beverly Hills Cop series! Really cashing in that nostalgia, Hollywood!