Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
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A street-smart Detroit detective travels to Beverly Hills to investigate the murder of his best friend.
The story
Axel Foley is a plainclothes Detroit police detective whose latest unauthorized sting operation goes sour, leading to a reprimand from his superior. After his childhood friend, Mikey, is murdered in Beverly Hills, Axel is forbidden by his superiors from assisting with the case. However, under the guise of a vacation, Axel travels to Beverly Hills to investigate the murder himself. There, he must navigate the local police department and a web of local connections to uncover the truth about Mikey's death while trying to avoid detection by his own superiors back in Detroit.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a reckless operation in Detroit leads to a reprimand, Axel Foley is told he must stay away from the investigation of his friend Mikey's murder. He travels to Beverly Hills on 'vacation' to investigate independently. He encounters local officers Billy Rosewood and John Taggart, with whom he eventually forms a mutual respect after foiling a robbery. Axel infiltrates a warehouse belonging to Victor Maitland, a man linked to Mikey's ties. After a series of confrontations and a raid on a country club, Axel and the local officers discover a drug smuggling operation. In a final confrontation at Maitland's estate, Axel and the local officers defeat Maitland's men and kill Maitland. Bogomil helps Axel cover his actions for his superiors in Detroit. The film ends with the local officers paying Axel's hotel bill and sharing a drink.
- First release year
- 1984
- Runtime (minutes)
- 105
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Martin Brest
- Writers
- Daniel Petrie Jr. · screenplay; Danilo Bach · story; Daniel Petrie Jr. · story
- Cast and characters
- Eddie Murphy · Axel Foley; Judge Reinhold; John Ashton; Lisa Eilbacher; Ronny Cox; Steven Berkoff; Jonathan Banks; Paul Reiser
- Genres
- action; comedy
- Themes
- justice; friendship
- Tone and mood
- action; comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- buddy cop; underdog
- Reception
- The film was an immediate blockbuster that received positive reviews and was noted for its blend of action and comedy, with its enduring popularity noted by critics.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 83% · scale: percentage · review count: 58; Metacritic · score: 66 · scale: 100 · review count: 12
- Awards and nominations
- People's Choice Award · Favorite Motion Picture · 1985 · win; Golden Globe Award · Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · 1985 · nomination; Academy Award · Best Original Screenplay · 1985 · nomination; Grammy Award · Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media · 1986 · win
- Production trivia
- The film was the highest-grossing film released of 1984 in the US.; The film was selected for preservation in the United States' National Film Registry.; The film was included on The New York Times list of 'The 1,000 Best Movies Ever Made'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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