The Heat Is On (Beverly Hills Cop (DVD))

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	Beverly Hills Cop (DVD)
Date:	02/02/08 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great 80s film

Disadvantages: None really

'Beverley Hills Cop' is one of those films from the 1980s that they just don't make any more! You can put it in the same grouping as 'Lethal Weapon', 'Back to the Future' and most Arnie films and entitle it 'Effortless Entertainment'. Because it's just so easy to watch. The whole combination of characterisation, acting and soundtrack works very well to create one of the most familiar films of the 80s. It's no wonder they made 2 sequels.

Director Martin Brest's 'Beverley Hills Cop' stars Eddie Murphy as the inimitable Axel Foley, a streetwise Detroit cop who tracks his best friend's murderer to Beverley Hills. Hampered by the local police but undeterred, Foley keeps searching for the killer.

The plot satisfies its target audience - it is supposed to be an action-comedy, and I can't think of a better one. Other than Murphy as the lead role, the supporting cast is excellent. Judge Reinhold and John Ashton are the 2 LA cops assigned to Foley to make sure he doesn't misbehave. Bronson Pinchot provides a wonderfully camp Serge, and Steven Berkoff is convinving as villain Victor Maitland.

I find the timelessness of the film to be its main attraction for me now. It must be close to 10 years ago I last watched it, and yet when I watched it the other day it was just how I remembered it. Easy to watch and highly entertaining. These days, so much time and effort is spent on CGI and deep character research and the finer details. All you need to do is look at a film such as this one to realise that some of the great films are simple in many ways.

Then there is the soundtrack. Glenn Frey's 'The Heat Is On' and Axel F's theme tune are still so memorable, and the background music all theway through the film add to the ambiance perfectly.

I find this is one of my favourite films of all time. It reminds me of Eddie Murphy at the top of his game. So, it's on to the other 2 films for me.

Summary: Effortless entertainment