Today’s quick review: Beverly Hills Cop III. When his boss is murdered, Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) follows the clues out to Wonder World, a Los Angeles amusement park hiding a massive criminal operation. With the help of Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), an old friend on the police force, Axel investigates Ellis De Wald (Timothy Carhart), the head of park security for Wonder World and the leader of its shady activities.
Beverly Hills Cop III is a crime comedy that sees the return of Axel Foley, a crafty Detroit police officer with unconventional methods. Beverly Hills Cop III is a departure from the previous two films in several ways. Taggart, the straight man of the previous films, has been replaced by Jon Flint (Hector Elizondo), a cop who treats Axel with undue familiarity. The cultural clash of Axel arriving in Beverly Hills is nowhere to be seen.
The tone as a whole is more serious, with a more dramatic hook, a higher body count, and steeper obstacles for Axel to overcome. The comedy focuses less on Axel and more on weak satire of everything from Disneyland to gun shows. The combination of high stakes and misplaced humor leads to a muddy tone that undermines its mediocre plot.
Watch Beverly Hills Cop III only if you enjoyed the previous two movies and want to see one last adventure with Axel and Rosewood. Its weaknesses are not fatal, but they are enough to make it noticeably worse than its predecessors. Skip it unless you have already seen the first and second movies and simply want a bit more in the same vein.
5.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for modest entertainment value hampered by poor decision-making.