Search - Beverly Hills Cop on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Not For Children, Adult Language, Profanity Movie Release: 1984 DVD Release: 01/29/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 45 mins Studio: Paramount Total Copies: 14 Genres: Action, Comedy, Action Comedy, Police Comedy See Also: Beverly Hills Cop [I Love the 80's Edition], Beverly Hills Cop [Circuit City Exclusive] [Checkpoint]

What's that wisecracking young black guy (Eddie Murphy) in that beat-up Chevy Nova doing in lily-white Beverly Hills? He's Axel Foley, a Detroit detective who's been sent on involuntary vacation because he refuses to drop his intention of avenging his friend's murder. Warned by Beverly Hills police chief Ronny Cox to stay out of trouble, Foley nonetheless dogs the trail of above-the-law Steven Berkoff, the British crime czar who was responsible for the murder of Foley's friend. With the help of sympathetic local cops Judge Reinhold and John Ashton and lady friend Lisa Eilbacher, Foley attempts to corner Berkoff in his mansion, which leads to a wild slapsticky shootout. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eddie Murphy - Axel Foley
Judge Reinhold - Detective Billy Rosewood
Lisa Eilbacher - Jenny Summers
John Ashton - Sgt. Taggart
Ronny Cox - Lt. Andrew Bogomil

Wisecracking Detroit cop Axel Foley begins his adventures in the action/comedy hit Beverly Hills Cop. Paramount has done a nice job of cleaning up this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen print. While some grain and imperfections abound, overall this is a good-looking transfer with minimal edge enhancement and bright-looking colors. The audio is presented in a newly mixed Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack in English, as well as Dolby 2.0 in English and French. The new 5.1 soundtrack is passable, though it's mainly composer Harold Faultermeyer's techno-pop score that is filtered through the front and rear speakers. All aspects of the dialogue, effects, and music are distortion free and very clear. Also included on this disc are subtitles in English.
This is a "special collector's edition" of Beverly Hills Cop, and as such includes some interesting special features. To start with, there is a commentary track by director Martin Brest that is both informative and insightful (with only a few gaps of dead silence during the feature). "Beverly Hills Cop: The Phenomenon Begins" is a somewhat self-serving documentary that includes interviews with Martin Brest, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, writer Daniel Petrie Jr., and actors Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, and in a limited fashion, Eddie Murphy. This retrospective is interesting, though many of the participants tend to dote on star Eddie Murphy a bit too much. "A Glimpse Into the Casting Process" is a short piece of how the film was cast, and "The Music of Beverly Hills Cop" takes a look at what it took to get both the music score and famous rock songs into the movie. Finally, there is a location map with production information by designer Angelo Graham, a limited still gallery with stills and photos from the movie, and a theatrical trailer for the film. This may not be the definitive DVD of Beverly Hills Cop, but it should please fans in general. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide