Eddie Murphy is back as Axel Foley, 40 years after his first outing! Most of the original gang in fact is back - Taggart, Rosewood, an unrecognizable Jeffrey and Serge. I've seen BHC 1 & 2 countless times, I can quote them almost verbatim. The third was largely forgettable and a noticeable drop in quality so it was with some trepidation I heard that they were finally going to do a 4th installment. Eddie Murphy had repeatedly said over the years he'll only do it if the script is right but still, I always feared they would modernize it too much and miss the magic of the original.
I'm happy to report they got it mostly right! It was just fun getting to see the characters again on screen after so long. Eddie Murphy slips back into Axel with similar sass and recklessness we remember him as, albeit with a little bit of a softer edge. Judge Reinhold and John Ashton haven't done many (if any) projects in the last 20+ years and they're used sparingly but the scenes with the three of them together just ooze chemistry and if anything I'd have loved there to be more! The new additions to the cast do a solid job too: Kevin Bacon just never disappoints but again, the script could've used him more. Joseph Gordon Levitt does a good job as the straight cop who eventually gets swept up in Axel's plans. We also find Axel has a daughter, Jane, who he's estranged from - it's a bit run-of-the-mill and we don't get too much of a backstory but in truth it's not what this movie is about, that's more of a side-story that gives Axel a bit of an arc to have during the movie. It's not an overbearing part of the plot and it helps give the movie a little extra heart.
The soundtrack is very well done. It's got all the iconic themes and songs from the original that is just pure nostalgia and it plays such a crucial role in bringing the movie together.
Nostalgia was always going to be a big draw for this movie, especially with so much of original cast back. Many movies can get it wrong by being too heavy-handed with it, but here (like Top Gun Maverick) I found it to be spot on; enough to put a smile on your face when you spot the throwbacks, but woven seamlessly enough into the story that it doesn't feel forced.
They don't shy away from the fact that 40 years has passed, the style of movies (especially comedies) has changed for better or worse, but I think they did an admirable job in trying to make a 2024 action comedy feel like one from the 80s with enough refreshments so it doesn't just feel like a lazy copy yet keeps the charm of the original. It's a really delicate (nigh impossible) balance but they get much more right than wrong. It's quite a bit better than the 1994 third attempt (Joseph Gordon Levitt with a cheeky line in reference to it when he first meets Axel) and I'm glad we get to see the trio reunited one last time for some 80s shenanigans!
