Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer were known as ‘The Dream Team’ in Hollywood circles – and would have continued forever were it not for Simpson’s death in 1995, leaving Bruckheimer to continue their legacy with an incredible run of spectacular movies including THE ROCK, CON AIR and ARMAGEDDON.
In the 1980s, they were virtually unstoppable with films like FLASHDANCE and TOP GUN, but it was the star vehicle they created for Eddie Murphy, which was originally set to star Sylvester Stallone (whom at one point was also talked up for THE GODFATHER PART III) that hit the big heights in 1984 with BEVERLY HILLS COP.
Murphy plays Detroit Police Detective Axel Foley, a fast-talking smart cop who botches a cigarette smuggling operation when one of his contacts drives the truck hard along the streets in an opening chase with Foley hanging on for dear life.
Reprimanded by his superior Inspector Todd (the late real inspector Gilbert Hill), he goes home to find old buddy Michael Tandino (James Russo) has broken into his house, who then shows Foley some bearer bonds which he has brought back from his job in Beverly Hills as a security guard which he got through a mutual friend, Jenny Summers (Lisa Eilbacher, AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN).
After a night out, Foley is knocked cold and Tandino is shot at point blank by a couple of henchman working for LA art dealer Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff). Foley, determined to find out who, takes some vacation and heads to Beverly Hills to solve the case….
This film was the making of Murphy at the time, following on from his star turns in 48 HRS (1982) and TRADING PLACES (1983). Be it blagging his way into a top Beverly Hills hotel or posing as a customs inspector, as well as winding up the local police force between battling Maitland and co, Murphy holds his own. The film also yielded some excellent hits, notably THE HEAT IS ON by the late-Eagle Glenn Frey.