Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)

Beverly Hills Cop worked because the fish-out-of-water element was made fresh by Eddie Murphy's liveliness. The comedy in the film was much more memorable than the action. The makers of Beverly Hills Cop 2 did not watch the first film enough times. Martin Brest, a quirky director, let the original film slow down enough to let Murphy have fun. By choosing Tony Scott (fresh from making Tom Cruise a star in Top Gun) to helm the sequel, the filmmakers were tipping their hand that this would be a wall-to-wall action blockbuster. While Beverly Hills Cop 2 is a competent action film, it is missing the level of energetic comedy that it promises in its association to the earlier film. Even though it was a success at the time, one can look back and see this film as the beginning of Eddie Murphy's prolonged big-screen slump. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide