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Beverly Hills Cop, when it originally opened in 1984, became a box office hit and a surprise Oscar nominee by the grace of how well its fish-out-water, action-comedy schtick landed. Axel Foley, the Detroit detective transplanted to Los Angeles to solve his friend’s murder, was easy to root for because he was played by Eddie Murphy. Mid-transition from Saturday Night Live to Hollywood, Murphy carried the film with ease, buoyed by a laugh like a motor engine kicking into gear, and a grin so wide it rewrote the fabric of the universe to make everyone around him the butt of his grand joke – especially those of the white, moneyed society.
