It never fails. I remember seeing this film in the summer of 87. I remember seeing it four times and twice I had to sit near the front of the theatre because it was packed. The film went on the gross about $250 million dollars. Audiences were laughing their guts out and returning for more. So what happens to a film this funny that it only gets less than 6 on the IMDB? Do people forget what it's like to laugh? Do people forget how funny Axel Foley really is? Has the boring and embarrassing third one destroyed all that was memorable about the first two? Because Beverly Hills Cop II is nothing but a treat. It is hilarious and as a movie itself it is pretty good too. The characters have even had a chance to grow from the first film. This is a really funny movie and if you haven't seen it in a while you should treat yourself and do so.
Axel Foley goes back to Beverly Hills to investigate the shooting of his old buddy, captain Bogamel( Ronny Cox ). Here he again teams up with his two pals Rosewood and Taggart. But before he goes to Beverly Hills he has a good old fashioned ass chewing by inspector Todd. Remember the famous scene? " Two thousand dollars for a suit, two hundred dollars for a tie, a requisition order for a Ferrari. " And then " I'm going deep deep deep, deep undercover. " We also have a small role for Paul Reiser as Jeffrey. So all the old characters do their thing at the beginning, but it's when we get to Beverly Hills that things get all messed up. And one of the best surprises of this film is the character growth of Rosewood ( Judge Reinhold). In the first one he was a shy, unassuming, wet behind the ears cop. Now he seems as though he has watched too many Sylvester Stallone movies ( and this may be the case as we see a poster for Cobra and Rambo hanging in Billy's house ). He now carries bigger weapons, talks with more confidence and wants to go on Foley's adventures. His change provides the film with many of it's funnier moments.
But of course what we expect out of Eddie Murphy in this role is a wise cracking, fast talking, spur of the moment character. And that we get. He does just as many little "skits" in BHC2 as the first and most of them are hilarious. Especially funny is the one in the gun club when he supposedly brings in a bag of " plutonium nitrate highly explosive soundseaking projectlies." The scene works because we really don't know what all that jargon is and neither does the lady behind the desk. Murphy is the master of smart ass comedy. He has an impeccable sense of comedic timing and he plays the crowd at the theater like a drum. We are under his spell and we love it. BHC2 is comedy at its finest and there is no reason for you not to enjoy this film unless you are just not a fan of Murphy. There were few films in the 80's that Murphy failed in, this is not one of them. True hilarity from beginning to end.