BEVERLY HILLS COP [1984 / 1987 / 1994 / 2013] [3 Movie Collection] [Blu-ray] [UK Release] Eddie Murphy is Axel Foley and is in for the Ride of His Life Fighting Crime!
Here we have a collection of all three ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’ films.
In the first film ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP,’ Eddie Murphy plays fast-talking Detroit cop Axel Foley, whose regular assignments includes tracking down cigarette thieves. When a friend is killed, he begins an unofficial investigation which leads him to Beverly Hills, where he runs into trouble with the straight-laced police force who disapproves of his anarchic methods. However, with the help of fellow cops Detective Billy Rosewood [Judge Reinhold] and Sergeant John Taggart [John Ashton], Axel Foley tracks down the killers. By the way, Gilbert R. Hill who played Inspector Todd, was originally a real life police officer, then became an actor because of the film ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’ and eventually became an American politician, but sadly passed away on the 29th February, 2016 at the age of 84.
In the second film ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP II,’ Axel Foley is called off a credit card case when his Beverly Hills buddies Detective Billy Rosewood and Sergeant John Taggart are foiled on a trail more suited to his unique skills – that of an illegal arms dealer Maxwell Dent [Jürgen Prochnow] and Karla Fry [Brigitte Nielsen] as a James Bond-style hit woman or as I call her, the “Ice Maiden.”
Finally, in the third film ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP III,’ Axel Foley's boss Inspector Todd is gunned down in a bungled raid in Detroit, and Detective Axel Foley swears to catch the killers. The trail leads Axel Foley, once again, to Beverly Hills and a huge theme park, which is run by the head of a private security firm. After many capers, it transpires that the theme park is printing counterfeit cash.
BEVERLY HILLS COP FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 1985 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Daniel Petrie Jr. (screenplay/story) and Danilo Bach (story). 1985 Golden Globes: Nominated: Best Motion Picture in a Comedy or Musical. Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture in a Comedy or Musical for Eddie Murphy. 1985 Edgar Allan Poe Awards: Nominated: Best Motion Picture for Daniel Petrie Jr. 1985 People's Choice Awards, USA: Win: Favorite Motion Picture. 1985 Stuntman Awards: Win: Best Vehicular Stunt (Feature Film) for Eddy Donno. 1986 BAFTA Awards: Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Score for Harold Faltermeyer. 1986 Grammy Awards: Win: Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special for Allee Willis, Danny Sembello, Howard Hewett, Harold Faltermeyer, Keith Forsey, Micki Free, Sharon Robinson and Sue Sheridan. 2020 Online Film & Television Association: Win: OFTA Film Hall of Fame Award for Motion Picture.
* * * * *
BEVERLY HILLS COP II FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 1987 Image Awards (NAACP): Nominated: Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for Eddie Murphy. 1988 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Music for an Original Song for Bob Seger (lyrics), Harold Faltermeyer (music/lyrics) and Keith Forsey (music/lyrics) for the song "Shakedown." 1988 Golden Globes: Nominated: Best Original Song in a Motion Picture for Bob Seger (lyrics), Harold Faltermeyer (music/lyrics) and Keith Forsey (music/lyrics) for the song "Shakedown." 1988 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards: Win: Top Box Office Films for Harold Faltermeyer. Win: Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures for Bob Seger (lyrics), Harold Faltermeyer (music/lyrics) and Keith Forsey (music/lyrics) for the song "Shakedown." 1988 Golden Screen, Germany: Win: Golden Screen. 1988 Kids' Choice Awards, USA: Win: Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actor for Eddie Murphy. Win: Blimp Award for Favorite Movie for Paramount Pictures (Production Company). 1988 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA): Nominated: Best Video from a Film Bob Seger for Bob Seger: “Shakedown.” 1988 Razzie Awards: Win: Worst Original Song for George Michael for the song "I Want Your Sex."
* * * * *
BEVERLY HILLS COP III FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 1994 The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards: Nominated: Worst Sequel for Mace Neufeld and Robert Rehme. 1995 Razzie Awards: Nominated: Worst Remake or Sequel for Mace Neufeld and Robert Rehme. Nominated: Worst Director for John Landis.
* * * * *
BEVERLY HILLS COP [1984] The heat is on in this fast paced action-comedy starring Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street smart Detroit cop tracking down his best friend's killer in Beverly Hills. Axel Foley quickly learns that his wild style doesn't fit in with the Beverly Hills Police Department, which assigns two officers Detective Billy Rosewood [Judge Reinhold] and Sergeant John Taggart [John Ashton] to make sure things don't get out of hand. Dragging the stuffy detectives along for the ride, Axel Foley smashes through a huge culture clash in his hilarious, high-speed pursuit of justice. Featuring cameos by Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot and Damon Wayans. ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’ is an exhilarating, side-splitting adventure.
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher, Ronny Cox, Steven Berkoff, James Russo, Jonathan Banks, Stephen Elliott, Gilbert R. Hill, Art Kimbro, Joel Bailey, Bronson Pinchot, Paul Reiser, Michael Champion, Frank Pesce, Gene Borkan, Michael Gregory, Alice Cadogan, Philip Levien, Karen Mayo-Chandler, Gerald Berns, William Wallace, Israel Juarbe, Randy Vasquez, Damon Wayans, Chuck Adamson, Chip Heller, Rick Overton, Rex Ryon, Mike Pniewski, Douglas Warhit, Paul Drake, Tom Everett, Sally Kishbaugh, Barry Shade, Jack Heller, Michael Harrington, David Wells, Scott Murphy, Dennis Madden, John Achorn, John Pettis, Nicholas Shields, Carl Weintraub, Anthony De Fonte, Darwyn Carson, Mark E. Corry, Thomas J. Hageboeck, Martin Brest (uncredited) and Earl Jolly Brown (uncredited)
Director: Martin Brest
Producers: Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer, Linda Horner and Mike Moder
Screenplay: Daniel Petrie Jr. (screenplay/story) and Danilo Bach (story)
Composer: Harold Faltermeyer
Cinematography: Bruce Surtees (Director of Photography)
* * * * *
BEVERLY HILLS COP II [1987] The heat's back on! And Eddie Murphy is cool as ever in this sizzling; smash-hit sequel to ‘Beverly Hills Cop.’ Axel Foley [Eddie Murphy] is back-back where he doesn't belong! He's going "deep, deep, deep undercover" into the chic wilds of Southern California, unleashing his arsenal of blazing gunfire and rapid-fire gags against a gang of international munitions smugglers. Back, too, are Detective Billy Rosewood [Judge Reinhold] and Sergeant John Taggart [John Ashton] as Eddie Murphy's crime-busting sidekicks. And director Tony Scott keeps the pace fast, furious and funny with ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP II.’ The only negative aspect of this film is the totally obnoxious so called actress Brigitte Nielsen as Karla Fry and cannot understand who the hell hired her; as she is one of the worst actress I have ever seen and has the acting skill of an iceberg and in her veins must be ice or anti-freeze and slightly spoilt this film for me, the only saving grace is the rest of the cast who did sterling work of out acting Brigitte Nielsen and certainly got her comeuppance at the end of the film and even that was a ghastly vacuous performance.
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, Jürgen Prochnow, Ronny Cox, John Ashton, Brigitte Nielsen, Allen Garfield, Dean Stockwell, Paul Reiser, Gilbert R. Hill, Paul Guilfoyle, Robert Ridgely, Brian Edward O'Connor, Alice Adair, Eugene Butler, Glenn Withrow, Stephen Liska, Gilbert Gottfried, Tom Bower, Valerie Wildman, Hugh Hefner, Carrie Leigh, Frank J. Pesce, Vic Manni, Sheri Levinsky, Ray Murphy Sr., Todd Susman, Chris Rock, Susan Lentini, Anthony D'Andrea, Robert Pastorelli, Kopi Sotiropulos, Richard Tienken, Teal Roberts, Peggy McIntaggart, Larry Carroll, Gary Carlos Cervantes, Michael DeMarlo, Dana Gladstone, Richmond Harrison, Darryl Henriques, John Hostetter, Tommy “Tiny” Lister, Ed Pansullo, Rudy Ramos, Ritch Shydner, John Lisbon Wood, Carl Bringas, Joe Duquette, Michael Hehr, Sam Sako, Michael Francis Kelly, William Lamar, Christopher R. Adams, Danny Nero, Devin Bartlett, Dayna O'Brien, Eugene Mounts, Everett Sherman Jr., Catrin Cole, Ola Ray (Playboy Playmate), Alana Soares (Playboy Playmate), Venice Kong (Playboy Playmate), Luann Lee (Playboy Playmate), Rebecca Ferratti (Playboy Playmate), Kymberly Paige (Playboy Playmate), Kymberly Herrin (Playboy Playmate), Leilani Soares (Playboy Model), Anne Lammot (Playboy Model), Pamela Santini (Playboy Model), Sarah Quick (Playboy Model), Marlenne Kingsland (Playboy Model), Monet Swann (Playboy Model), Natalie Smith (Playboy Model), Kari Whitman (Playboy Model), Eddy Donno (uncredited), Steven A. Fredrick (uncredited), Bob Harks (uncredited), Danielle Ross (uncredited), Larry Turk (uncredited), Sydney Urshan (uncredited) and Bryon Weiss (uncredited)
Director: Tony Scott
Producers: Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer, Richard Tienken and Robert D. Wachs
Screenplay: Danilo Bach (characters), Daniel Petrie Jr. (characters), Eddie Murphy (story), Robert D. Wachs (story), Larry Ferguson (screenplay), Warren Skaaren (screenplay), David Giler (uncredited) and Dennis Klein (uncredited)
Composer: Harold Faltermeyer
Cinematography: Jeffrey L. Kimball, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
* * * * *
BEVERLY HILLS COP III [1994] Eddie Murphy returns as Detroit Detective Axel Foley, getting down with the fun-and-sun set as never before in this revved up thrill-ride of a movie. This time, superstar Eddie Murphy comes up with the best showcase yet for Axel Foley's comedic, rapid fire bravado. Axel Foley is determined pursuit of ruthless killers, with a little help from old pals Serge [Bronson Pinchot] and Det. Sgt. William “Billy” Rosewood [Judge Reinhold], leads him to Los Angeles popular theme park, Wonder World. Suddenly, Axel Foley becomes the hottest new attraction as he chases down the bad guys on the rides, through the underground maze beneath the park. Los Angeles popular theme park, Wonder World will never be the same and Eddie Murphy's “Axel Foley” has never been funnier. So come on – step through the turnstile and catch the nonstop excitement of ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP III.’
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Jon Tenney, Joey Travolta, Eugene Collier, Jimmy Ortega, Ousaun Elam, Ray Lykins, Tim Gilbert, Rick Avery, Gilbert R. Hill, Dick Purtan, Fred Asparagus, Louis Lombardi, Lindsey Ginter, Timothy Carhart, Michael Bowen, David Parry, Stephen McHattie, Al Green, Hattie Winston, Judge Reinhold, Hector Elizondo, Tracy Melchior, Gregory McKinney, Forry Smith, Theresa Randle, Dan Martin, Steven Banks, George Lucas, Christina Venuti, Jonathan Hernandez, Christy Alvarez, Yareli Arizmendi, Jeannie Epper, Kurtis Sanders, William B. Taylor, William S. Taylor, Neva Sosna, Nichole McAuley, Jerra Stewart, Patty Raya, Meadow Williams, John Saxon, Aileen Acain, Alan Young, Martha Coolidge, Bronson Pinchot, Symba Smith, Julie Strain, Heather Elizabeth Parkhurst, George Schaefer, Joe Dante, Curtis Williams, Helen Martin, Theodore Borders, Albie Selznick, Charles Rahi Chun, Roger E. Reid, Royce Reid, Hector Correa, Elaine Kagan, Tino Insana, John Rubinow, Hank McGill, Cherilyn Shea, Peter Medak, Arthur Hiller, Ray Harryhausen, Robert B. Sherman, Eugene Elman, Jerry Dunphy, Barbet Schroeder, Philip Levien, John Singleton, Lisa Allen, Julie Dolan, Christian Heath, Patricia Quinn, Sean Spence, James MacKinnon, Jennifer Cobb, Lynn Walsh, Susan Gayle, Devin McRae, Wendy Harpenau, Felicia Wong, Marlene Hoffman, Wanda Welch, Liza Macawili, Robin Shelby, Dave Myers, Matt Myers, Nick Hermz, Tim Shuster, Laura Summer (voice), Forrest J. Ackerman (uncredited), Lena Banks (uncredited), Thomas Brungardt (uncredited), John Edward Cabrera (uncredited), Jaime H. Campos (uncredited), D. Alan Cooksey (uncredited), Phyllis Davis (uncredited), Kiante Elam (uncredited), David C. Fisher (uncredited), Shawn Flanagan (uncredited), Ryal Haakenson (uncredited), Heidi Lawson (uncredited), Al Leong (uncredited), Ned Lott (uncredited), Bob Minor (uncredited), Daren Palacio (uncredited), Bob Pepper (uncredited), Eric Predoehl (uncredited), Thomas Rosales Jr. (uncredited), Anthony G. Schmidt (uncredited), Keith Shawn (uncredited), Joseph Quinn Simpkins (uncredited), Bill Taylor (uncredited), Aliza Washabaugh (uncredited), Swa'vet Williams (uncredited) and Lynnanne Zager (uncredited)
Director: John Landis
Producers: Catherine Meyers, Leslie Belzberg, Mace Neufeld, Mark Lipsky, Ray Murphy Jr. and Robert Rehme
Screenplay: Daniel Petrie Jr. (character), Danilo Bach (character) and Steven E. de Souza (screenplay)
Composer: Nile Rodgers
Cinematography: Mac Ahlberg (Director of Photography)
* * * * *
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 / 2.35:1 / 1.78:1 (Anamorphic)
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
German: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
German: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
Spanish: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Spanish [Latin America]: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
French: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
French: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Italian: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Italian: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Japanese: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Português: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
Português: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Português: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English, Danish, German, Spanish, Spanish [Latin America], French, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Norwegian, Português, Finnish, Swedish and English SDH
Running Time: 105 minutes / 102 minutes / 104 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 3
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Andrew's Blu-ray Review: BEVERLY HILLS COP [3 Movie Collection] With these three films it catapulted Eddie Murphy to superstardom, and the BEVERLY HILLS COP franchise series has been a mainstay with movie lovers since it all began with the original film ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP,’ which was Paramount Pictures biggest money maker in 1984.
Now one of Eddie Murphy’s most famous characters, the street-smart Detroit cop Axel Foley who ends up bringing his own way of doing things to California, is back in the spotlight as the Beverly Hills 3-Movie Collection arrives on Blu-ray, which was released in honour of the first film’s 35th anniversary last year.
Released in 1984, and directed by Martin Brest, ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’ finds Axel Foley travelling to Beverly Hills to investigate the murder of his friend, Michael Tandino [James Russo], who has just gotten out of jail. Alex Foley gets a rude awakening when he discovers that the cops in Beverly Hills are more straight-laced and do things strictly by the books, a far cry from how he’s used to operating in Detroit.
Alex Foley finds himself butting heads with the Beverly Hills police department, before teaming up with the mismatched pair of Detective Billy Rosewood [Judge Reinhold] and Sergeant John Taggart [John Ashton], who are a great buddy cop duo.
Released three years later in 1987, with Tony Scott taking over directing duties, ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP II’ finds Alex Foley returning to Beverly Hills, and re-teaming with Detective Billy Rosewood [Judge Reinhold] and Sergeant John Taggart [John Ashton], to investigate notorious munitions smuggling ring.
The trilogy was completed with the release of ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP III’ in 1994, which was directed by John Landis and resets the action mainly at an amusement park that is heavily inspired by Disneyland.
The films are a mix of fish-out-of-water comedy and satisfying action movie, with as many car chases and shootouts as laugh out loud scenarios and a great soundtrack of techno pop and funk music that matches the action perfectly, but of course the film ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’ remains a classic film and of course Eddie Murphy made it his own stand out performance. It’s interesting to note that Sylvester Stallone was initially attached to star in the film, but he went far too over budget when he rewrote parts of the script to bring it in a more action-oriented direction, and was subsequently was let go in favour of Eddie Murphy.
This is one of Eddie Murphy’s roles that really solidified the comedic actor as a bona fide movie star, and in hindsight, it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Murphy playing the part and it certainly would have been a very different movie if that were the case. It’s filled with so many classic moments and great, quotable lines, with some of the best ones being improvised. In addition to Eddie Murphy’s dynamite turn in the leading role, Judge Reinhold and John Ashton also have great chemistry together, memorably embracing their roles as a sort of Laurel & Hardy tag team. Bronson Pinchot also shines in a memorably hilarious bit part.
While the first film is easily the best of the trilogy, films two and three are quite entertaining as well, and I would say that all three films are fun to watch in their own ways. The second film becomes more of a straight action film, and really embraces the buddy cop element, moving at a brisk pace. The third one certainly follows the law of diminishing returns, and received an extreme critical drubbing at the time of its release, but I think it’s still fairly enjoyable to watch and has some moments, including a really solid opening action sequence at a chop shop.
Watching all three films for this review, I had a really good time doing so. But of course Eddie Murphy was at the top of his game, and of course the film ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’ is a genuine classic that still holds up really well, even today. The second film is also quite a bit of fun in its own right, and even the third one offers a fairly enjoyable if admittedly weaker outing for Axel Foley. Whether you are new to this 3 film franchise or already an established fan, this is a solid set that provides a good deal of entertainment value and one thing, you will never get bored watching all three films. The only negative aspect is first of all, once again who the hell hired Brigitte Nielsen, as I have seen more animation out of a cardboard cut or showroom dummy and the other annoying aspect of all three films was having the AXEL F theme music that is constantly being played throughout each film, talk about flogging something constantly throughout all three films, that in the end really drives you up the wall and by the end of the third film you breathe a sigh of relief.
* * * * *
BEVERLY HILLS COP MUSIC TRACK LIST
THE HEAT IS ON (Written by Keith Forsey and Harold Faltermeyer) [Performed by Glenn Frey]
NEUTRON DANCE (Written by Allee Willis and Danny Sembello) [Performed by The Pointer Sisters]
STIR IT UP (Written by Allee Willis and Danny Sembello) [Produced by Keith Forsey and Harold Faltermeyer
DO YOU REALLY (Want My Love?) (Written by Junior and Glenn Nightingale) [Performed by Junior]
NEW ATTITUDE (Written by Sharon Robinson, Jon Gilutin and Bunny Hull) [Performed by Patti LaBelle]
NASTY GIRL (Written by Vanity) [Performed by Vanity 6]
DON’T GET STOPPED IN BERVERLY HILLS (Writted by Hawk, H. Hewett and M. Free) [Performed by Shalamar]
EMERGENCY (Writted by H. Rice and S. Sheridan) [Performed by Rockie Robbins]
GRATITUDE (Written by Danny Elfman) [Performed by Danny Elfman]
RICK ‘N’ ROLL ME AGAIN (Written by Marc Benno and Richard Theisen) [Performed by The System]
AXEL F (Written by Harold Faltermeyer) [Performed by Harold Faltermeyer]
* * * * *
BEVERLY HILLS COP II MUSIC TRACK LIST
SHAKEDOWN (Written by Harold Faltermeyer, Keith Forsey and Bob Seger) [Performed by Bob Seger]
IN DEEP (Written by Charlie Sexton and Scott Wilk) [Performed by Charlie Sexton]
HOLD ON (Written by James Wirrick) [Performed by Corey Hart]
CROSS MY BROKEN HEART (Written by Stephen Bray and Tony Pierce) [Performed by The Jets]
BE THERE (Written by Allee Willis and Franne Golde) [Performed by The Pointer Sisters]
I CAN’T STAND IT (Written by David Allen Jones and Harold Payne) [Performed by Sue Ann]
ALL REVVED UP (Written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock) [Performed by Jermaine Jackson]
HOLD ON (Written by James Wirrick) [Performed by Keta Bill]
BETTER WAY (Written by Andre Cymone) [Performed by James Ingram]
I WANT YOUR SEX (Written and Produced by George Michael) [Performed by George Michael]
36 LOVERS (Written by John Eaton, Melvin Riley, Jr. and Gary Spaniola) [Performed by Ready for the World]
LOVE/HATE (Written by Andre Cymone and Julian Jackson) [Performed by Pebbles]
SPANISH FLEA (Written by Julius Wechter) [Hummed by Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold and John Ashton] (uncredited)
* * * * *
BEVERLY HILLS COP III MUSIC TRACK LIST
THE WONDERFUL SONG (Written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
AXEL F (Written by Harold Faltermeyer) [Performed by Nile Rodgers featuring Richard Hilton]
COME SEE ABOUT ME (Written by Brian Holland, Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier) [Performed by The Supremes]
ISN’T IT ROMANTIC (Written by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers)
KEEP THE PEACE (Written by Keith Forsey, Mark Younger-Smith, Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence) [Performed by INXS]
LEAVIN’ (Written by Raphael Saadiq, John Smith, Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad) [Performed by Tony! Toni! Toné!]
LUV 4 DEM GANGSTA’Z (Written by Dirty Red and Henrik Milling) [Performed by Eazy-E]
MOOD (Written by Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Chanté Moore) [Performed by Chanté Moore]
NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA (Written by Dan Shapiro, Tony Martin and Harold Borne) [Performed by Jerry Lewis]
THE PLACE WHERE YOU BELONG (Written by Carl Martin, Trey Lorenz, Darnell Van Rensalier, Marc Gay and Garfield Bright) [Performed by Shai]
THE RIGHT KINDA LOVER (Written by Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Ann Nesby and Jimmy Wright) [Performed by Patti LaBelle]
RIGHT THING, WRONG WAY (Written by Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Terence Trent D'Arby) [Performed by Terence Trent D'Arby]
STELLA BY STARLIGHT (Written by Ned Washington and Victor Young)
SUMMER JAMMING (Written by Ian Lewis) [Performed by Inner Circle]
SOBRE LAS OLAS (Over the Waves) (uncredited) (Music by Juventino Rosas) [Played on the carousel]
AMAZING GRACE (uncredited) (Written by John Newton) [Performed by Al Green]
* * * * *
Blu-ray Image Quality – Paramount Pictures presents us this amazing BEVERLY HILLS COP [3 Movie Collection] with a nice new 1080p image for this release to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the original film. The original ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’ film looks really good as if you are watching a theatrical print of the film. It is a bit grainy, but the depth and detail kept intact are pretty terrific. The second film holds up quite well too, with a bit of grain, with some strong detail. The film ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP III’ looks pretty clean and a bit smoother than the other two and it may be more due to the drastic change in lighting schemes from the first two films giving that illusion. The first two films feature really good push back and foreground and background distances. The third one is pretty solid too, but has some weird looking movements when CG is used to fill out the theme park. That’s probably more for the effects holding up to the text of time than anything. Overall, movements are natural, smooth and don’t have any distortion issues during any quick or rapid action sequences. Blacks are deep and look on the side of natural for all three films. I will point out that in the first film there are some hallway scenes in Axel Foley’s building that had a light brown looking to them, but despite this, the rest of the way, I noticed no problems. Colours are pretty strong and pop, with good saturation all around. The second film is a bit muted and some scenes seem to have a hazy look to and maybe by some stylistic choice. Skin tones are natural and consistent in the original film, take a bit more of a muted tone in the second and the third one has characters at their most flush with a hint of waxiness in some spots. Details are strong and discernible from any reason distance within the frame. But overall, this is great effort on the part of Paramount Pictures.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Paramount Pictures bring this action packed BEVERLY HILLS COP – 3 Movie Collection with all three films with a dynamic 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Experience, and a special bonus is that ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP II’ and ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP III’ were also released in the 5.1 mix in the UK and other countries, other than America. The first film lacks quite a bit in the subwoofer department, where you want a little more blast, especially with the action scenes, and does disappoint there. The other two films pick up the slack and really rock your room with explosions, crashes, gunfire, glass shattering and the bass in music. The second and third films definitely have some great playfulness with the speakers. Bullets especially zip around the room and environments feel more ever present. Vocals are clear and crisp for all the films. No real issue with inaudible dialogue or it sounding slightly dated. But again, overall, this is great effort on the part of Paramount Pictures.
* * * * *
BEVERLY HILLS COP Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Audio Commentary by Director Martin Brest: Here Martin Brest introduces himself and informs us that it is an early Saturday morning in Sanata Monica to do an audio commentary for ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’ that he directed over 150 years ago, but of course he was only joking, but he feels like it was that many years ago and is completely shocked at what he is viewing and will try to do his best to do this audio commentary for this film. At the ending of shooting the film, they went back to Detroit to shoot extra scenes for the start of the film, like the chase scene, and some of the principle actors. The scenes around Detroit, especially in the suburbs were shot via an unmarked van to get the natural shots, like if they were in an unmarked surveillance vehicle and shot the film through some curtains, and after shooting those scenes, had to go up to the people they had filmed to get their clearance to use the footage they had shot for the start of the film. When we see Eddie Murphy and his best friend at the bar, which of course soon afterwards gets brutally killed, well his best friend tells Eddie Murphy that he loved him, but only as a friend, but when the film had a preview, the stupid ignorant heterosexual audiences sniggered and laughed, inferring it was a sexual gay comment, well that is typical ignorance on their part, and the studio felt that had to be edited out before the film went on general release, but Martin Brest decided to go against their wishes and with some fine editing, kept that particular scene in for the release of the film. When we see Eddie Murphy meet Steven Berkoff face to face in his office, Martin Brest says that he was having trouble finding an actor to be the nasty villain, and when he saw a photo of the British Actor Steven Berkoff, who is also a playwright and of course avant-garde stage plays, and felt he would be perfect for that character and was proved right to hire him. When Eddie Murphy ends up in the Los Angeles Police Station after the incident of being thrown through the plate glass window of Steven Berkoff’s office building , well we are informed this was not the actual Los Angeles Police Station, as they were not allowed to film inside that building, so that had to build a replica in a warehouse, in what they thought it was actually like inside the Los Angeles Police Station. Martin Brest talks about the scene where Eddie Murphy puts a couple of bananas up the exhaust pipe of the police car parked outside the hotel, and originally Eddie Murphy was supposed to put a potato up the exhaust pipe, which would of came about if they had filmed a scene where Eddie Murphy was going via the kitchen, but because of a tight budget, that is how the actual banana scene and the exhaust pipe you viewed happened. Martin Brest wanted the main crux of the film, where it brings Eddie Murphy into contact with Judge Reinhold and John Ashton to bring two kinds of American police force styles together and work together to bring nasty criminals to justice. When Eddie Murphy enters the HARROW building and where he walks past the table with the ice sculpture and all the fruit, well they had to keep spraying it with disinfectant, because they had a blight of flies attacking the fruit, as it was very hot inside the building. When Eddie Murphy is grilled at the Los Angeles Police Station because of his incident at the HARROW, and when the actor Stephen Elliot who plays the Chief of Police enters the scene, you see him carrying a rolled up piece of paper, which is in fact his script, and only ten minutes before that scene he was trying to learn his lines, and Martin Brest had met this actor Stephen Elliot once before on another film Martin Brest had directed with this particular actor, and was very impressed with him and felt he would be totally ideal for the character of the Chief of Police, despite not having many scenes in the film, he still carried it off really well. When we get the shootout at the particular house where Steven Berkoff was, Martin Brest goes into great detail of all the complicated shots he had to do and to do complicated set ups, in the shortest possible time, as they only had that day to finish the filming at this particular house and again, because it was a tight shooting schedule that day, it was such a stressful time that Martin Brest went through seven packets of cigarettes, that’s how stressful it all was for that days shooting at that particular house. After the shootout finishes, we see Eddie Murphy gets up to speak to Ronnie Cox and Martin Brest points out the gun in the back of Eddie Murphy’s jeans, well the actor Gill Hill who is Eddie Murphy’s boss back in Detroit, well of course originally Gill Hill was originally a policeman in real life and use to tuck his gun in his trousers the same way. When we see Eddie Murphy checking out of the hotel, well the person behind the counter is none other than the director Martin Brest and comments that it was the worst performance out of the whole film and was very embarrassed. As Eddie Murphy says goodbye to the two detectives Judge Reinhold and John Ashton, Marin Breast warns us about the dreaded Eddie Murphy freeze frame coming up for the last frame of the film, as it was a sort of trade off to end the film, and totally hated it. So there ends quite an interesting and informative audio commentary by director Martin Brest and is well worth listening to, so happy viewing and listening folks.
Special Feature: ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’ – The Phenomenon Begins [2002] [1989p] [1.37:1] [29:11] With is special feature it takes a look back at the project's history, including discussions revolving around the screenplay's development, actors considered for the lead role, which at one point was going to hire Sylvester Stallone for the Alex Foley character, the story's tone, casting Eddie Murphy and the remainder of the cast, hiring Director Martin Brest, Eddie Murphy's performance, and the picture's legacy. We also get to view some rare black-and-white promo photographs. Contributors include: Jerry Bruckheimer [Producer], Danilo Bach [Writer], Daniel Petrie Jr, [Screenplay Writer], Martin Brest [Director], Judge Reinhold [Detective Billy Rosewood], Eddie Murphy [Detective Axel Foley], Billy Weber [Editor], John Ashton [Sergeant John Taggart], Lisa Eilbacher [Jenny Summers] and Ronny Cox [Lieutenant Andrew Bogomil].
Special Feature: A Glimpse Inside The Casting Process [2002] [1080p] [1.37:1] [9:37] Casting Director Margery Simkin discusses her role on the film, the repercussions of Eddie Murphy replacing Sylvester Stallone, and the casting of various other roles. Contributors include: Margery Simkin [Casting Director of ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’], Judge Reinhold [Detective Billy Rosewood], John Ashton [Sergeant John Taggart], Martin Brest [Director], Lisa Eilbacher [Jenny Summers] and Ronny Cox [Lieutenant Andrew Bogomil].
Special Feature: The Music of ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’ [2002] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:49] Here we take an in-depth look at the film's Grammy-winning score and its place in the film ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’ and how very hip it was at the time and how they wanted it to be all part of the film and not as a compilation Compact Disc. Contributors include: Jerry Bruckheimer [Producer], Judge Reinhold [Detective Billy Rosewood], Martin Brest [Director] and Bob Badami [Music Editor], Billy Weber [Editor].
Special Feature: Location Map: While viewing this special feature, we get a selection of seven specific film locations to do with the film ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP,’ and Angelo P. Graham [Production Designer] explains about each item in detail and also where the actual scenes were filmed and the specific film locations are as follows: BEVERLY HILLS POLICE STATION [1:28] / VICTOR MAITLAND’S MANSION [1:45] / THE BILTMORE [0:51] / WAREHOUSE [0:58] / ART GALLERY [1:31] / HARROW CLUB [0:40] / STRIP CLUB [0:28].
Theatrical Trailer [1984] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:33] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP.’ This is a totally all action trailer and a very good advert for the film itself and what you will experience while viewing the film.
Finally, ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’ [3 Movie Collection] is a very nice collection of all three films that made Eddie Murphy a film superstar. The second film, while may not be a classic, was a film that tries something different and mostly succeeds due to the fact that it hasn't forgotten its origins. This 3 Movie Collection is worth the price just for the first two films. The first film has a nice selection of special features, but the other two films are surprisingly devoid of any special features, even though the inferior DVD’s of the same films did have special features. Despite this anomaly, the picture and sound quality are great and definitely warrant the purchase of this 3 Movie Collection. It’s also a shame that ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP II’ and ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP III’ do not have any bonus features in their releases. Regardless, the special features in the film ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’ are quite informative, especially via the audio commentary. By the way, if you haven't seen them you should, if for no other reason than to enjoy Eddie Murphy's and Judge Reinhold's performances, because the pair worked very well together and are a big part of what made the film franchise so interesting. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
