"Beverly Hills Cop," Almost 25 Years Later

Believe it or not, 23 years later, "Beverly Hills Cop" mostly holds up.

I caught a run of the movie on HBO last Sunday night... and wound up watching the whole thing. The movie's still a lot of fun, and Eddie Murphy is fantastic. No wonder it made him a superstar.

Oh, the Harold Faltermeyer soundtrack is painfully dated. (Although it's interesting to hear the electronic boop-beep-boop-ba-da-boop of "Axel F" again.) The body count is surprisingly high for a comedy (I don't even think Jerry Bruckheimer -- who co-produced the film with the late Don Simpson -- would show such a big body count in a comedy today, given the changed environment). The pre-"NYPD Blue"/"Shield" cops are played straight and uncomplicated. And the storyline is neat and tidy (in a 2007 version, there would be a few more twists and turns).

But because it refrains from contemporary references or even clothes (cops still look the same today, and Murphy wears jeans and a t-shirt throughout) you almost can't tell it was made in 1984. (Although, funny enough, I bet Murphy's foul-mouthed cop was a bit more edgy in 1984. Now, it's almost quaint.)

Here's what did throw me off: It's "Beverly Hills Cop," yet most of the movie takes place in Los Angeles.

First off, Murphy stays at the Biltmore (which, granted, doubles for a fictional Beverly Hills hotel in the movie):


Murphy and a Beverly Hills cop at the Biltmore


The front of the Biltmore, as seen in the movie


A pre-famous Damon Wayans plays "Banana Man," a Biltmore employee who comps several free bananas to Murphy


OK, here we go, an actual Beverly Hills setting: City Hall


But wait a sec, Murphy is arrested by Beverly Hills cops for disturbing the peace near the Wiltern Theater. Isn't that far outside their jurisdiction?