There is a song by Herbie Hancock called “Rockit.”  Why do I bring it up?  Because I always confuse it with the theme to Beverly Hills Cop (1984), which is “Axel F” by Harold Faltermeyer.  They sound similar, both utilizing that 1980s, highly-synthesized sound.  There is a deeper connection for me.  I do not looking at it, but the music video for “Rockit” is nightmare fuel.  When I was a child, music television, known familiarly as MTV, was in its infancy.  Yes, I am that old, but not that that old, if that makes any sense?  Anyway, back then the channel that is now more synonymous with reality programming used to show nothing but videos for popular songs.  How quaint, no?  There was everything from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” to “Money For Nothing” by the Dire Straits.  Among these was also “Rockit,” and it made this five-year-old cry.  Because it is so close to “Axel F,” which you cannot miss when watching the film, I never watched it.  I chalk this up to post-traumatic stress disorder.  Now that I am relatively grown up, I felt it safe to revisit one of the more financially successful franchises of all time.

After taking pains to show that we are in Detroit, which is definitely not where one would find a Beverly Hills Cop, we meet Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy).  He is in the trailer of a semi, working undercover, and attempting to arrest the leader of a cigarette smuggling operation.  Unfortunately, these activities are spotted by a regular patrolman.  Their presence spooks the suspects, who proceed to lead the police on a chase in their large truck that causes a great deal of damage around the city.  Because Detective Foley did not have authorization for this effort, his boss at the precinct, Inspector Douglas Todd (Gilbert R. Hill), is not happy with his young officer.  Since Detective Foley is talented, he is given one more chance or risk being fired if he again flaunts the rules.  Upon returning home from being chewed out, he finds his old friend, Michael “Mikey” Tandino (James Russo), in his apartment.  After a night of catching up over drinks, they stumble back to Detective Foley’s place.  Waiting for them there are a couple of well-dressed thugs that knock out Detective Foley and murder Mikey.  Because of Detective Foley’s recent behavior, Inspector Todd will not let Detective Foley investigate the case.  After a few minutes of fruitless protesting, Detective Foley asks for vacation time and it is granted.  Naturally, his intention is to look into the death of his best friend.  During their conversation, Mikey had revealed that he had worked in Los Angeles prior to returning to Detroit.  He had been in the employ of a supposed art dealer named Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff), from whom Mikey had apparently stolen a small fortune in German bearer bonds.  This gives Detective Foley a destination.  Upon arriving, he checks into a swanky hotel, talking himself into a suite despite it being fully booked.  After this, he visits another old friend, Jeanette “Jenny” Summers (Lisa Eilbacher).  Mikey, as an employee of Victor, had done security for the art gallery she manages.  She is devastated when Detective Foley tells her about Mikey’s death, and offers to help in any way she can.  The first thing they do is drive to Victor’s office.  Detective Foley goes inside and sitting inside is the man, Zack (Jonathan Banks), who shot Mikey.  Before the conversation can get too far, Victor has a number of security guards throw Detective Foley out onto the street, going through a glass window in the process.  He is then arrested for his trouble.  At the Beverly Hills precinct, Lieutenant Andrew Bogomil (Ronny Cox) wants to know why Detective Foley did not identify as a cop.  He claims he is just there on vacation, though Lieutenant Bogomil had called his counterpart in Detroit to learn about this detainee from out of town.  Though Detective Foley is let go from custody, two of Beverly Hills’ finest are assigned to watch him.  These are Detective William “Billy” Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Sergeant John Taggart (John Ashton).  Detective Foley is able to easily give them the slip, going with Jenny to a warehouse owned by Victor to find the evidence his needs of wrongdoing.  When he gets back, he takes his monitors out for a drink, helping to stop a robbery in the process.  Lieutenant Bogomil appreciates this to a certain degree, but assigns other officers to watch Detective Foley.  These, two, are also easily outwitted by Detective Foley, who confronts Victor for a second time.  This time, Victor goes to Jenny’s office, mildly threatening her if she is concealing any information about this new nemesis.  Meanwhile, though Detective Foley almost convinces Lieutenant Bogomil of something sinister going on, the head officer orders Detective Rosewood to escort his Detroit equivalent out of the city.  On the way, Detective Foley convinces Detective Rosewood to help bring down Victor.  Picking up Jenny because of her access to Victor’s storage facilities, they find drugs that the supposed art dealer is sneaking past customs.  Yet, they are soon accosted by Victor’s men.  Though Detective Rosewood helps Detective Foley get away, Jenny is taken hostage by Victor.  They go after Victor, tracking him to his palatial grounds in the Hills.  Soon, Sergeant Taggart shows up, and they have to shoot their way into the mansion.  When Lieutenant Bogomil figures out what is going on, he decides to bring in as much back up as possible.  He also goes inside and is with Detective Foley when he shoots Victor, who had been holding Jenny at gun point.  Lieutenant Bogomil then covers for Detective Foley, thanks to the major bust the out-of-town cop had helped arrange.  We close with Detective Foley about to depart the city, but offering to take Detective Rosewood and Sergeant Taggart out for another drink.

I am wrestling with whether to refer to the protagonist of Beverly Hills Cop as an anti-hero.  It is a common theme is police dramas, or action-comedies as is the case here, of the main character having a disregard for the rules.  One can applaud the dedication he shows to bringing the perpetrators to justice.  This is contrasted by the “by-the-book” approach of his Los Angeles counterparts.  When Sergeant Taggart punches Detective Foley in the stomach for mouthing off shortly after they meet, Lieutenant Bogomil asks the visitor if he would like to press charges.  Detective Foley is taken aback, but declines, citing unwritten cop rules.  By the end of the film, though, he has the rule following Beverly Hills law enforcement bending these restrictions in order to take down Victor because, it seems, the ends justify the means.  This has an application in the Faith life.  Speaking of songs as discussed in the introduction, there is one by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils titled “If You Wanna Get to Heaven.”  Their solution is that you have to “raise a little hell.”  While, I believe, the implication is not that sinning can be a pathway to eternal life, the suggestion can come with morally gray areas.  The result of one doing some wrong in order to achieve a greater good might look beneficial.  You could chastise a homeless person for shiftlessness, and hopefully that person hears that message and turns her/his life around.  Yet, where does it end?  You could end up doing something from which there is no easy return, and you find yourself willing to do even worse the next time you are faced with a difficult situation.  Is there truly a benefit then for your soul?  Luckily, we have a God that forgives a contrite heart.  One would not accuse Detective Foley of contriteness for how he handled Victor, but he is at least proved right about the supposed art dealer’s crookedness.

There are some other problematic aspects of Beverly Hills Cop, like cursing and nudity.  The violence also gets over-the-top by the end.  Thus, it is obviously not one you would want children to see this one.  Anyway, consider this a warning if you are wanting to watch it before the latest installment in the franchise comes out on Netflix this summer.