High class crime: ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ continues Detroit cop’s hijinks in Los Angeles

Eddie Murphy stars in the brand new action-comedy “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” premiering Wednesday, Ju

One of film’s most beloved and unorthodox police detectives is back on his beat, 30 years since audiences last saw him take down crime in Los Angeles’ most famous ZIP code. Eddie Murphy (“You People,” 2023) stars in the brand new action-comedy “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” premiering Wednesday, July 3, on Netflix.

Murphy reprises his role as Detective Axel Foley — who first made his iconic appearance in 1984’s “Beverly Hills Cop,” which was followed up by sequels in 1987 and 1994 — a Detroit police officer whose work often takes him to sunny California and the glamorous, storied suburb of Beverly Hills to chase down drug lords, weapons kingpins and counterfeiting rings.

Joining Axel yet again is his trusty partner, Lt. Billy Rosewood, portrayed by Judge Reinhold (“Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” 1982). Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Mr. Corman”) is Bobby Abbott, a detective with the Beverly Hills Police Department and ex-boyfriend of Axel’s estranged daughter, Jane (Taylour Paige, “Zola,” 2020).

So, what brings Axel back to the 90210 from his home in the Motor City this time, four decades since his first mayhem-filled assignment? Axel’s daughter Jane, a criminal defense attorney, receives a threat to her life, prompting her father to team up with old and new partners and pin down the danger.

In an official trailer for the film, Axel, Billy and Bobby drive chaos all over Beverly Hills, from crash landing a helicopter on a golf course, to chasing down bad guys in a snow plow and steering a cargo truck through a palatial home’s sitting room. The crime-fighting crew will get to the bottom of this case at any cost.

Reprising their roles from previous Beverly Hills Cop franchise films are Paul Reiser (“Mad About You”) as Police Chief Jeffrey Friedman; John Ashton (“Gone Baby Gone,” 2007) as Sgt. John Taggart; and Bronson Pinchot (“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”) as former foe, Serge.

Joining the cast in this installment is Kevin Bacon (“Leave the World Behind,” 2023) as Capt. Grant, who welcomes Axel back to the force — but can he be trusted? Axel has dealt with crooked cops before, so it wouldn’t be the first time he found corruption went all the way to the top.

In a recent appearance on “The Daily Show,” Bacon told Jordan Klepper, “I’m not afraid of being a bad guy in the movie,” summing up his philosophy on being hated on screen by saying, “to me, it’s just great parts and I just want to be them. And I’m exorcising some demons.”

A newcomer to the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, Gordon-Levitt talked to Empire about his role in the upcoming film, saying, “this character is a bit straight-laced — I am an actual Beverly Hills cop, whereas Axel Foley is a cop from Detroit who finds himself in Beverly Hills — but he’s not a simple straight man.”

Anyone going toe-to-toe with Murphy is the straight man by default, but Gordon-Levitt shared that his character isn’t just there to question Axel’s hijinks. “I also get my licks in. I wouldn’t be living up to this crazy opportunity if I wasn’t going to have a few myself. We got to do some really fun stuff.”