Forgotten Sequels: Beverly Hills Cop II

 Breakdown, shakedown- you're Reviewed!  

This is Beverly Hills Cop II, the Sequel (duh) to the classic '80s Film.

In the ensuing years, Paramount wanted to make this into a TV Series.  

Yes, Decades before we got Lethal Weapon and Rush Hour as TV Shows, this nearly happened.  However, Murphy was not interested in going back to TV- which he's pretty much stuck to- and we got this Film instead.

Tony Scott is here to bring his signature style and grace to proceedings.  

We also get Brigitte Nielsen here too, which is kind of funny if you know your Film History.

Basically, Sylvester Stallone was offered the spec script version of BHC and did Cobra (with Nielsen) instead in 1986.  Oh, and the two were married. 
A year later, she's in the Sequel...and they are divorced (although the two facts aren't related).

The Plot involves a series of crimes, a complex motivation for them happening and Axl called to Beverly Hills yet again when someone is shot (just not killed this time).
They surely won't do that Plot Point again, right?

Is this Film as good as the original?  Should it be talked about more?

To find out, read on...

In Beverly Hills, we see a group of robbers- led by Nielsen- who rob a Jewelry Store with precise timing to get in and out without being caught.

This is the start of the Alphabet Crimes.
How the Police know to call it this after ONE crime- which was A- is anyone's guess.

After that, we see Axel working undercover with some criminal selling credit cards...or something.
Look- this Plot doesn't matter at all.

Meanwhile, we see that he's become off-screen friends with the LAPD Chief (who stood up for him last Film).

Oh no- he's going to get...yeah, there it is.

He's shot, but will recover- just not in time to appear in this Film again.  

To be fair, he was busy making a little Film called Robocop.

Axel goes to Beverly Hills- seeming a bit less surprised by things the 2nd time- and does a long con where he tricks some workers into leaving a House under repairs with him.

A fun moment, even if him having a House barely matters to the Plot.

He joins up with his two buddy cops- who were demoted for Plot reasons- and works the case.

A shell left at the Chief's shooting leads him to a Gun Club and the Villains, but they know that he's on their case.

Hijinks involving the Pool lead to the trio going to a Strip Club- the Let's Up the Rating to R trope in full effect- and them pretending that the older Cop is Gerald Ford.

They find out more about the bad guys and...wait...is that the guy from CSI?!?

First the guy from Breaking Bad in the last one and now this!

Another B-Plot involve Paul Reiser- who was in way more '80s Films than you remember! - covering for Axl while he's away.

It doesn't amount to much.

Speaking of not amounting to much, Axel and company stop the next Robbery- the C & D Crimes- from being completed (the bad guys have to dump the loot) and follow a clue to a Fundraiser at The Playboy Mansion.

This has the group meet face-to-face for the first time...before Heff just makes them all leave without conflict.  Fun.

The Alphabet Crimes come to a head with E as they rob the Emperium Fields and kill one of the backers- Dean Stockwell as Cain- to frame him for the whole thing.

Case closed, right?

Nah.  They figure out from mud on shoes in Act 1 that they are in these fields with red mud.

A shoot-out ensues, with Rosewood famously blowing up a truck and the bad guys are defeated.

Secondarily to that, the mean new Chief is fired and the good Chief is promoted (off-screen).  

The End.

A strong Sequel- mostly due to the Star Power and Direction.

The Plot is kind of all over the place.  It moves around to do random things- like putting Axel up in a House for 2 Scenes- and features lots of distractions.  The actual Alphabet Crimes idea is great.  The execution is so-so and the villains motivations are not laid out well.

Story wise, we get weird filler and forced setups for stuff like Axel and Rosewood in a Cement Mixing Truck.

One B-Plot doesn't quite age well- at least for me.  We learn that Rosewood is obsessed with guns, having them all over his House and in his trunk.  The pay-off is him putting on a black trench coat and gleefully having a shoot-out.
I mean, I was in High School with Columbine happened, so...kind of yikes.

The late Tony Scott does a great job here.  No offense to Martin Brest (tee hee, his name sounds funny), but he's outshined here.  The Action is shot well.  The Film is lit well.

Without him, I feel like this might be a fun, but underwhelming Sequel.

Thankfully, you can breeze past the odd bits of Plot, the filler and the other things that don't mean much to enjoy Murphy here delivering a great performance.  Plus, the Soundtrack is great.
Have I listened to it in my Car multiple times?  Maybe.

It's kind of a mess, but a fun and great-looking one...that makes me stuck again on which stinger to use.
So, here's both...

They couldn't get Bronson Pinchot, but this is a great replacement, no?

***

Rubbing it in by looking at a Cobra Poster, Eddie?

Next up, let's return to my more normal fare, shall we?  Don't worry- Part 3 will get its own look soon enough.  Stay tuned...