I was listening to the “Best of” show yesterday for The Monsters in the Morning and the topic centered on comedic movies that could stand the test of time.  It made me think back to a discussion I had with Robert atSmart Guys Computers earlier in the week where we brought up Beverly Hills Cop.  So, I decided to spend Halloween watching the entire series.

For those unfamiliar with the movie, Eddie Murphy plays a Detroit cop who has a high school buddy gunned down in his apartment.  From there, Murphy pursues the case to Beverly Hills and its inevitable resolution.  No real twists were incorporated into the story; the story focused more on character development and comedic moments.

Along with 48 Hours and Trading Places, BHC is considered the genesis of Eddie Murphy’s movie career.  Interestingly enough, while he was the first choice of Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, Murphy was not Paramount’s first choice.  The studio wanted Sylvester Stallone and had actually begun working with him on revising the script to better suit him.  Martin Brest, the director, finally made the studio see that the movie was moving too far from the original vision of “cop-out-of-water” idea.  Stallone agreed to step aside, and eventually made the movie Cobra based on some of the work he had done on BHC.  Paramount agreed to bring in Murphy and the rest is history.

The other notable feature of this movie is the soundtrack.  Harold Faltermeyer is responsible for one of the most recognizable movie themes, Axel F.  The way the theme is interlaced with the action helps balance the tone between action/mystery and comedy.  With songs from Glen Frey, The Pointer Sisters, and Patti LaBelle, the soundtrack became one of the most sought-after albums of 1984.

The DVD I have is part of a 3-disc collection that Paramount released for the whole series.  I liked the amount of interviews contained on the disc, which became the source of some of the info you have just read.  The audio is the standard 5.1 mix and the original trailer is also included.

My advice: grab a copy of this DVD and see a comedy/action movie that holds up 25 years later – In the words of Axel Foley, “Trust me….HEH HEH HEH”