Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) Paramount/Action-Comedy RT: 102 minutes Rated R (pervasive language and vulgarity, some strong violence, brief nudity) Director: Tony Scott Screenplay: Larry Ferguson and Warren Skaaren Music: Harold Faltermeyer Cinematography: Jeffrey L. Kimball Release date: May 20, 1987 (US) Cast: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Jurgen Prochnow, Brigitte Nielsen, Allen Garfield, Dean Stockwell, Paul Reiser, Gil Hill, Paul Guilfoyle, Robert Ridgely, Alice Adair, Gilbert Gottfried, Brian O’Connor, Tom Bower, Hugh Hefner, Robert Pastorelli, Frank Pesce, Chris Rock, Tommy “Tiny” Lister. Box Office: $153.6M (US)/$276.6M (World)
Rating: ***
Comedy sequels are rarely as good as the original and Beverly Hills Cop II is no exception. It’s not that it’s bad in any way; it’s just completely different from its predecessor. Directed by Tony Scott (Top Gun), it’s an action-comedy turned up to 11. It is LOUD! Guns don’t just fire, they explode. People don’t just talk, they shout and scream. Nobody just drives, they careen and screech all over the place destroying a lot of property along the way. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many parking meters being taken out in a single movie. Then there’s the soundtrack which blares throughout almost the entire movie. At 102 minutes, you’ll be reaching for the Extra Strength Tylenol by the end. Los Angeles Times critic Sheila Benson put it best when she said in her review “[it] isn’t a sequel, it’s a heart attack”.
I saw Beverly Hills Cop II on its second day of release with my dad. It was a twilight show and the theater was about half-full. It definitely wasn’t expecting what I saw. I didn’t care for it. At the same time, I couldn’t simply dismiss it as folly. There was something about it that compelled me to see it a second time. I took a girl to see it on our first date. I liked it a little better that time. Over the years, it’s grown on me. Now I really like it, flaws and all.
The sequel’s biggest problem is the convoluted plot. It makes no damn sense. It seems like the villains’ motives change every 10 minutes. It’s nearly impossible to figure out their desired end game. It starts off with a jewelry store robbery, the first in a series of robberies dubbed “The Alphabet Crimes”. Captain Bogomil (Cox, RoboCop) is on to something and the bad guys know it. That’s why they gun him down in broad daylight. He’s the “B” crime (for Bogomil).
Word gets back to Axel Foley (Murphy) in Detroit about the attempt on Bogomil’s life. They’re all friends now, Foley, Bogomil, Taggart (Ashton, Midnight Run) and Rosewood (Reinhold, Fast Times at Ridgemont High). He jumps on the first plane to Beverly Hills even though he’s supposed to be “deep, deep undercover” to bust a counterfeit credit card ring in Detroit. Together with Taggart and Rosewood, he tries to get to the bottom of the Alphabet Crimes.
The Beverly Hills baddies behind the crime spree are Maxwell Dent (Prochnow, Das Boot), Karla Fry (Nielsen, Cobra) and Charles Cain (Stockwell, Blue Velvet). However, none of them are as big an adversary as Chief Lutz (Garfield, The Cotton Club), the new head honcho of the BHPD. He’s an abusive ass who suspends Bogomil for daring to ask the feds for helping solving the Alphabet Crimes. He demotes Taggart and Rosewood to traffic duty. He doesn’t listen to anybody about anything. He’s a nightmare boss. Naturally, Foley is going to have fun screwing with him.
Let’s forget about plot and talk about other things. Is Beverly Hills Cop II funny? Yes, quite frequently it is. Foley still knows how to get over on the rich, clueless people of 90210. The scene where he gets past a snooty receptionist at a gun club is a riot. And who else would have the gumption to steal a house because he needs a place to stay while he’s in town? Who else but Axel Foley?
Then there’s the BH dynamic duo, Taggart and Rosewood. They’re still great together. This time, we learn more about them. Rosewood, as it turns out, has a hidden violent streak. He has quite a collection of automatic weapons and posters of Sylvester Stallone movies (a nod to the first movie) adorn the walls of his place. He also has ferns and a turtle named Big Al. Taggart’s wife has left him and he doesn’t want to talk about it. He’s still a likable grouch.
Beverly Hills Cop II has plenty of action too. It’s really more of an action movie if you think about it. It has a lot of shooting and gunplay. There’s also a cool chase involving a cement mixer. That is Rosewood’s doing, of course. Foley asks him to find a vehicle to chase down the crooks that try to rob the City Depository (the “C” and “D” crime) and this is what he comes back with. It’s not the ideal way to chase criminals, but it sure looks like fun. Their pursuit leads them right to a party at the Playboy Mansion where they encounter Hef himself. Then there’s the finale, a huge gunfight involving the use of a rocket launcher. That’s Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson for you! They don’t do subtle; neither does Tony Scott.
Murphy is funny once again, but did he need to shout nearly all of his dialogue? Is he the new spokesperson for the School for the Hard of Hearing? Ashton and Reinhold still have great chemistry. Garfield plays a perfect a-hole. Nielsen is just hot. Bronson Pinchot isn’t on hand for Beverly Hills Cop II. In his stead, comedian Gilbert Gottfried (The Adventures of Ford Fairlane) cameos as an obnoxious accountant tricked into helping the guys with their investigation.
It may not be as great as the original, but there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had with Beverly Hills Cop II. The three-way chemistry between Murphy, Ashton and Reinhold gives the movie a boost. It’s fun to watch them joke around while going after the bad guys. I do have one question though. How is it that they’re able to solve such a complicated and confusing case in just two days? Also, how does Bogomil make such a speedy recovery from his near-fatal wounds? At first, he’s in the hospital in critical condition. Two days later, he’s up and around in a wheelchair. One could ask a ton of questions about the logic behind Beverly Hills Cop II, but why bother? It’s just a fun summer movie meant to entertain Eddie’s fans and viewers looking for escapist entertainment. You might be scratching your head afterwards, trying to make head or tails of the plot so don’t even try. Just enjoy the ride.
