Beverly Hills Cop II

A terrible and unpleasant sequel to the surprise hit from 1984. Though it reassembles most of the cast from the original, including Eddie Murphy in the role that made him a big-screen movie star, all of the other elements that made the first one so enjoyable are gone. Director Tony Scott seems to be absolutely clueless about what made the first one so popular and fresh -- in other words, the comedy -- and instead focuses on aggressive violence and action. The song "Shakedown" was nominated for an Academy Award, but otherwise the film doesn't even boast as good a soundtrack as the original. Grade: D

Let's be honest. Axel Foley would much prefer to be in Beverly Hills than Detroit. That's the real reason he went back to Beverly Hills. Who could blame him? As far as the script had it; his friend and captain of the Beverly Hills police force was shot. The culprit: the alphabet killer (or maybe alphabet robber). Axel Foley, in typical Axel Foley fashion, whisked into town to help find Captain Cox's assailants. He was brash, he was boisterous, and he was funny. On top of that the movie was well written and it was a big production. The criminals were big time, they were a step ahead of the law, and Axel used small yet important clues to track the bad guys. This was an excellent part two.

Ridiculous and forgettable sequel goes a long way on the talent of its star, but has little else to make it worth the viewing experience. Detroit cop Axel Foley makes his way back to Beverly Hills after his friend Captain Bogomil falls victim to a random shooting at the hands of a notorious "alphabet killer." With the help of devoted officers Taggart and Rosewood, Foley makes it his mission to track down the culprit despite the resistance of an incompetent, hotheaded police chief. Murphy has energy to spare, but this lukewarm action-comedy has an abundance of needless plot twists, dialogue that alternates between highly crude and downright silly, and precious few laughs. Fans of the lead actor may enjoy it, but the script is a total letdown. **

"Beverly Hills Cop II" is the entertaining sequel to the 1984 smash hit. Of course, this sequel can't top the original, but it's still pretty good. Eddie Murphy returns as Axel Foley and returns to Beverly Hills to help avenge the attack of a friend. This movie isn't as fresh as the original movie, but I found myself laughing alot throughout. Plus, the action scenes are well done. Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, and Paul Reiser all reprise their roles from the first film along with Murphy. "Beverly Hills Cop II" is a movie that's loud and noisy at times, but it's funny and entertaining. And it's much better than the disappointing third movie in the series, "Beverly Hills Cop III". *** (out of four)

Yes, I know that sounds a bit hyperbole, but the opening jewel robbery, seguing directly into Eddie Murphy dressing for work with Bob Seger's "Shakedown" in the background is one of the best film openings I have ever seen. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie is just average, and is nowhere near as good as the original. If you don't want to sit though the whole movie, at least try to catch the opening few minutes on YouTube, if you can.

Beverly Hills Cop 2 is pretty much just the same as the original Beverly Hills Cop but without the freshness and originality of the 1st. Murphy is still a perfect Axel Foley and with some good supporting characters such as his foul mouthed chief of police and Detectives Rosewood and Taggart the movie does have it's moments but the rules of diminishing returns still apply. With a bit more originality in the script and a bit more daring this really could have been great. But for a sequel this isn't to bad just more of the same but not quite as good. 6/10 - Not as good as the original but far superior to the tepid third instalment.