Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) Paramount/Action-Comedy RT: 104 minutes Rated R (language, violence) Director: John Landis Screenplay: Steven E. de Souza Music: Nile Rodgers Cinematography: Mac Ahlberg Release date: May 25, 1994 (US) Cast: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, Timothy Carhart, Hector Elizondo, John Saxon, Theresa Randle, Alan Young, Stephen McHattie, Bronson Pinchot, Gil Hill, Hattie Winston, Michael Bowen. Box Office: $42.6M (US)/$119.2M (World)
Rating: *
In the ten years since Beverly Hills Cop broke box office records (it was the highest-grossing R-rated movie until The Matrix Reloaded), Eddie Murphy became a bona fide movie star. His movies made money. Then they didn’t. By 1994, he needed a hit. His previous film, the political screwball comedy The Distinguished Gentleman, didn’t even break the $50M mark. Hopes were high for Beverly Hills Cop III. Everybody hoped it would put Eddie back on top. It didn’t. Why? Easy, it sucks!
The magic is gone. By now, Axel Foley is a familiar figure in Beverly Hills. What’s left for him to do? Director John Landis (Animal House, The Blues Brothers) seems to be trying to reinvent him as an action hero in the vein of Bruce Willis. Beverly Hills Cop III is best described as Die Hard at an amusement park. That’s where Foley finds himself as he attempts to get the guy who killed his boss Inspector Todd (Hill) back in Detroit. It happened while he was trying to bust an illegal chop-shop. A bunch of guys show up unexpectedly and kill everyone in the joint. When Foley and his team launch their raid, Todd is gunned down by the leader of the group. He orders Foley to “get that son of a bitch” before dying.
As usual, all roads lead back to 90210. Despite being ordered to stand down by Secret Service agent Steve Fulbright (McHattie, Watchmen), Foley moves forward with his unauthorized investigation. Once he arrives in Beverly Hills, he finds things have changed a lot. His old pal Billy Rosewood (Reinhold, Vice Versa) has been promoted to some position that doesn’t make much sense even though he explains it in detail to Foley. Taggart has retired and so (presumably) has Bogomil. Billy’s new partner is Detective Jon Flint (Elizondo, Pretty Woman) who, as it so happens, moonlights as a security guard at Wonder World, a theme park obviously modeled after a more famous one. That’s where Foley spots Todd’s killer, head of security Ellis DeWald (Carhart, Pink Cadillac). It turns out he’s using the popular theme park as a front for his counterfeiting operation. Foley is determined to take him down then take him out.
Beverly Hills Cop III should have worked, especially under the direction of Landis who helmed two of Murphy’s best movies, Trading Places and Coming to America. Reportedly, the director and the star clashed a lot on the set with Murphy refusing to engage with the comedic elements of the action-comedy. He felt that his character had matured and wanted to play Foley straight. The result is a flat and lifeless performance from the usually energetic comedian. It infects the rest of the movie as well. None of it is funny. It’s not even mildly amusing. Not even the return of Bronson Pinchot as Serge, the former art gallery assistant who now designs sophisticated weapons, helps. It just serves as a sad reminder of a better BHC movie.
As an action movie, Beverly Hills Cop III doesn’t fare much better. It has some okay set-pieces like the part where Foley rescues a couple of children from a ride that’s been sabotaged. However, it feels like it belongs in a different movie. It’s something you’d expect in Die Hard not Beverly Hills Cop. It just doesn’t work here. None of it does really. The villain is rather vanilla. The plot offers nothing original or surprising. For example, somebody in law enforcement is involved in all the illegal activity. Isn’t that always the case? It’s embarrassingly easy to pick this person out. Then there’s the part where Serge demonstrates one of his products for Foley. You know what this means, right? Yep, it’s going to be featured in the climax. Why take the time to show it otherwise? Then there’s the romantic subplot involving Foley and helpful park employee Janice (Randle, Bad Boys I, II & III). Ho-hum. Been there, done that. Who cares?
The only real point of interest in Beverly Hills Cop III is Alan Young (of Mr. Ed fame) who shows up as Uncle Dave, founder and owner of Wonder World. Any resemblance to Walt Disney is not coincidental. He’s better than the film deserves. He’s also the only one who looks like he’s having any fun. Everybody else appears bored and disinterested, especially Murphy. He’s not into it all. He just goes through the motions. The whole of Beverly Hills Cop III feels forced as though the actors are just doing it for the paycheck and nothing else.
No two ways about it, Beverly Hills Cop III is a bad movie. It makes Beverly Hills Cop II look great by comparison. Whereas the 1987 sequel was loud and incoherent, the three-quel is boring. It didn’t even need to be made. What’s the point? Who’s he supposed to bump heads with now? It’s his third visit to BH; he’s used to the snooty, materialistic types that live there. And where are the uptight cops of the BHPD? Have they become so used to his brand of law and disorder that they don’t even bother showing up anymore? What exactly is the point of Beverly Hills Cop III?
If Murphy and Landis hoped this would be a comeback film for both of them, they were dead wrong. Beverly Hills Cop III is as DOA as they come. When a movie resorts to showing a couple of overweight guys dancing and lip-synching to a classic Motown song (The Supremes’ “Come See About Me”), you know it’s in trouble. This happens in the first five minutes and goes on way too long.
The truly sad thing about Beverly Hills Cop III is that they had a better story idea in earlier drafts of the screenplay. It would have put Foley in London where he would have teamed up with a Scotland Yard detective played by Sean Connery. Now that’s an idea with promise! Just imagine Foley screwing with stuffy British types. That’s funny! In its final form, Beverly Hills Cop III falls flat on its face more than Jerry Lewis in one of his “comedies”. It is a complete waste of time, talent and other resources. Unless you’re a die-hard completist, it’s okay to skip this one.
