Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

This is now ten years after the original and is a very poor relation. Gone are the established cast and therefore most of the chemistry as Eddie Murphy reprises his role as loud-mouthed cop "Axel Foley" just once too often. It has many of the ingredients that made this franchise successful, but somehow the seriously B-list supporting cast and the repetitive nature of the action scenes just don't really work nearly so well. "Foley" has the odd quip to deliver, but even Murphy seems to be going through the motions as his character gets drawn into a counterfeiting ring being run out of an LA theme park. That latter scenario gives ample opportunity for some lame gags and the dialogue here is much more aggressive. Anglo-Saxon creeps in where before we had wit; the film is courser, less polished and - as usual, to be fair - there is no jeopardy at all about the eventual ending. Someone doubtless made a pile of cash from this derivate effort, so hopefully we can stop now before the tarnish really sets in.

Very weak entry into the series with a more serious Murphy not exactly working as Foley. Still, can't say I hated it and was a passable time-waster. **2.5/5**