Runtime:
105 minutes
Directed
by: Martin Brest
Starring:
Eddie Murphy, John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, Lisa Eilbacher, Steven
Berkoff
From:
Paramount
This film isn't great... yet it's still pretty good:
Here
is another example of a movie I've seen a few times before (including
as a kid) yet the last viewing was long ago. I figured now was the time
for me to see again a film that was a massive hit in the '80's. It is
not something I love yet I can say this is pretty good.
A lot of it is due to the charm of Eddie Murphy. I mean, the story isn't too terribly complex nor is the villain's scheme all that inventive. There is not a lot of action and what you do see won't blow you away. Much of the entertainment is seeing Axel Foley be a streetwise cop from Detroit have to interact in a strange place (for him) like Beverly Hills, where the law is strait-laced and by the book... OF COURSE his presence causes some of those police officers to change.
Some parts of the film have not aged too well-the main thing being Bronson Pinchot's small role as Serge, a blatant flaming gay stereotype-yet I still do enjoy the movie overall. It is simply fun seeing Foley use his gift of gab to his advantage, e.g. impersonating a federal agent at a warehouse or staying at a fancy hotel with no reservation. In addition, as I've said plenty of times before I prefer the older music and this soundtrack is tremendous. Such songs as Glenn Frey's The Heat is On, Neutron Dance from The Pointer Sisters and Patti LaBelle's Stir it Up are pretty rad, and Harold Faltermeyer's Axel F became legendary... not so much when Crazy Frog covered it, but the original is astounding.
Thankfully I still think the movie is a slick-enough watch and there are enough laughs and the supporting characters were usually interesting (especially the cop partners Taggart and Rosewood) to where I can say this is pretty good.
A lot of it is due to the charm of Eddie Murphy. I mean, the story isn't too terribly complex nor is the villain's scheme all that inventive. There is not a lot of action and what you do see won't blow you away. Much of the entertainment is seeing Axel Foley be a streetwise cop from Detroit have to interact in a strange place (for him) like Beverly Hills, where the law is strait-laced and by the book... OF COURSE his presence causes some of those police officers to change.
Some parts of the film have not aged too well-the main thing being Bronson Pinchot's small role as Serge, a blatant flaming gay stereotype-yet I still do enjoy the movie overall. It is simply fun seeing Foley use his gift of gab to his advantage, e.g. impersonating a federal agent at a warehouse or staying at a fancy hotel with no reservation. In addition, as I've said plenty of times before I prefer the older music and this soundtrack is tremendous. Such songs as Glenn Frey's The Heat is On, Neutron Dance from The Pointer Sisters and Patti LaBelle's Stir it Up are pretty rad, and Harold Faltermeyer's Axel F became legendary... not so much when Crazy Frog covered it, but the original is astounding.
Thankfully I still think the movie is a slick-enough watch and there are enough laughs and the supporting characters were usually interesting (especially the cop partners Taggart and Rosewood) to where I can say this is pretty good.
No comments:
Post a Comment