Fans of the cult-favorite Beverly Hills Cop film franchise were delighted at the subtle way the Netflix reboot nodded to the original three films.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, which dropped on July 3, revives the protagonist of Axel Foley, played by Eddie Murphy, bringing the member of the Detroit police department back to the affluent LA neighborhood for a new adventure.
As he is known to do, Axel kicks off his mission by embarking on a trail of destruction before he’s apprehended by local the Beverly Hills PD and brought to the station, where he meets Detective Bobby Abbott, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Bobby then pulls Axel’s file, summarizing it with a mix of awe and horror.
The latest installment of the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, which dropped on July 3, contains a cheeky reference to its history
The first Beverly Hills Cop came out in 1984, followed by the second in 1987. The third installment, released in 1994, which was widely panned, and described by Murphy as ‘garbage’
‘Did you ever read your own file? This is a lot,’ Abbott exclaims.
‘Disturbing the peace, various shootouts, evading the police. This is from ’84, then there’s one from ’87.
‘And then ’94. Not your finest hour!’
Each of the years referenced in the lines marked the release of the first Beverly Hills Cop in 1984, then Beverly Hills Cop II in 1987, and Beverly Hills Cop III in 1994, as reported by The Independent.
While the first two were mostly well-received, Beverly Hills Cop III infamously bombed – and years later, in 2015, was described by the star himself as ‘garbage.’
The third movie followed Axel as he attempted to apprehend a gang of counterfeiters operating out of a theme park.
The third installment’s director, John Landis, later claimed that Murphy was trying to play Axel as a more solemn character, in theory out of the aspiration to be taken as a more serious actor.
Landis, meanwhile, characterized the filming of the movie as a ‘very strange experience.’
After Eddie Murphy’s Axel is arrested, Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), reading Axel’s file, characterized 1994 as ‘not your finest hour’ – a reference to the despised third film
The director of the new Netflix version, Mark Molloy, even admitted to The Hollywood Reporter that he deliberately avoided watching the third film.
Legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer also refused to watch it.
‘I’ve never seen [Beverly Hills Cop III], and Jerry hasn’t either. When I came in, I said to Jerry, “I haven’t seen Beverly Hills Cop III.” And he was like, “I didn’t do it, so you don’t need to see it.”‘
Still, the two thought it would be amusing to acknowledge the flop through the disappointment conveyed in the ‘not your finest hour’ quip.
‘I had a lot to do with that. I just thought it would be a really fun little moment for the franchise fans where we wink back at ourselves,’ said Molloy.
