Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

A freewheeling Detroit cop pursuing a murder investigation finds himself dealing with the very different culture of Beverly Hills.

Director:

Martin Brest

Writers:

Daniel Petrie Jr. (screenplay by), Danilo Bach (story by)

Stars:

Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eddie Murphy	...	Axel Foley
Judge Reinhold	...	Det. Billy Rosewood
John Ashton	...	Sgt. Taggart
Lisa Eilbacher	...	Jenny Summers
Ronny Cox	...	Lt. Bogomil
Steven Berkoff	...	Victor Maitland
James Russo	...	Mikey Tandino
Jonathan Banks	...	Zack
Stephen Elliott	...	Chief Hubbard
Gilbert R. Hill	...	Inspector Todd
Art Kimbro	...	Det. Foster
Joel Bailey	...	Det. McCabe
Bronson Pinchot	...	Serge
Paul Reiser	...	Jeffrey
Michael Champion	...	Casey

Storyline

After the murder of his childhood friend in front of his eyes, the slick Detroit detective, Axel Foley, heads to sunny Beverly Hills, on a one-man mission to ferret out the killer and bring him to justice. Before long, Axel and his unorthodox methods unearth the lucrative drug operation of the powerful local crime kingpin, Victor Maitland; however, Foley, too, will find himself in deep trouble, as Lieutenant Andrew Bogomil wants him out of town. Now, Axel will have to team up with Detectives, John Taggart, and Billy Rosewood, to shed light on the thick conspiracy, and finish what he has started. Will Foley's total disregard for proper procedure bear fruit?

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Plot Keywords:

thrown through a window | death of friend | police brutality | murder | drugs | 

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Taglines:

He's been chased, thrown through a window, and arrested. Eddie Murphy is a Detroit cop on vacation in Beverly Hills.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The banana in the tail pipe scene. Martin Brest mentions it was originally supposed to be a potato in the tail pipe, and a scene involving Axel sneaking into the kitchen of the hotel to get a potato was intended. Budget and scheduling issues stepped in, and the scene couldn't be shot. Murphy had to grab something that was easily accessible in a location that was already lit and ready to be shot. The lobby became that location, and, since a potato in the lobby didn't really work, they changed it up to Axel grabbing a banana off a buffet. It was Eddie Murphy's idea to get Damon Wayans in as the guy working the buffet. Wayans is credited in the film as Banana Man.

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Goofs

When the semi truck crashes into the fruit truck, numerous spectators are standing in the background.

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Quotes

Sergeant Taggart: Police! Move and I'll kill you!

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Crazy Credits

Scott Murphy's character of Det. Owensby is misspelled as Det. Owenby in the credits.

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Alternate Versions

Also shown on TV in an alternate "less explicit" language version.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Memorable Movie Characters of the 1980s (2016)

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Soundtracks

Gratitude
Written by Danny Elfman
Performed by Danny Elfman

User Reviews

Ultra-Slick and Ultra-Cool.

Eddie Murphy became a true bankable superstar with "Beverly Hills Cop". The film is an unconventional detective story that has Murphy, a Detroit police officer, go to Beverly Hills after his close friend is killed. Murphy wants to find out who killed his friend and why. What he discovers is one of the largest illegal drug fronts around in an art museum. Now it is up to Murphy to bring down the bad guys and save the day. "Beverly Hills Cop" is a film that showed the greatness of the 1980s. A pop-culture, box office hit that was funny and full of action and sported a smashing soundtrack. A nice film that is one of the most memorable money-makers of the decade that was the 80s. 4 stars out of 5.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 December 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beverly Drive

Filming Locations:

2720 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,214,805, 9 December 1984

Gross USA:

$234,760,478

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$316,360,478

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Eddie Murphy Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1