After tearing up half of Detroit during an undeclared undercover drug bust and nearly getting thrown off the force, renegade cop Axel Foley finds his wayward best friend murdered right before his eyes. Tracing a connection to the hit to Beverly Hills, fish-out-of-water Foley launches his own investigation, much to the dismay of the straight laced members of the police department. Martin Brest's "Beverly Hills Cop" features Eddie Murphy at the top of star status in an immensely likable performance. The script is strictly standard and the veneer is cheap and unmemorable, but Murphy, along with other members of the cast including Judge Reinhold and John Ashton as BHPD detectives, Steven Berkoff and Jonathan Banks as the baddies, Lisa Eilbacher as Foley and the victim's mutual friend, and Bronson Pinchot in a particularly funny role, help elevate the material to an enjoyable campy level.
