It’s a full 40 years since maverick Detroit police detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) first found himself a fish out of water in the alien world of Beverly Hills, and 30 years since the franchise’s most recent instalment. As Foley revisits the west coast yet again for the fourth film, what’s remarkable is how little has changed. Sure, there are a few more wrinkles on the returning cast members (Murphy, who is comparatively well preserved, clearly relishes a running gag about how ancient and creaky his co-stars now look), but the plot could have been cut and pasted from parts of any one of the previous outings.
Foley creates havoc in a Detroit-based opening action sequence, decamps to the fanciest upmarket neighbourhood in Los Angeles (in this case, a threat to the safety of his adult daughter is the motivation), causes more havoc, falls foul of his bosses and finally saves the day, thus vindicating his unorthodox techniques and issues with authority figures. It’s not unentertaining – the blast force of Murphy’s charisma alone carries the picture, and that’s before you get to the bracing vehicular carnage of the chase scenes. It is, however, lazy, formulaic stuff that diminishes the brash brilliance and danger of the actor’s early career work.
