Movie:
Beverly Hills Cop, originally released theatrically in 1984, was directed by Martin Brest and produced by the team of Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson. The film stars Eddie Murphy (Axel), Judge Reinhold (Billy Rosewood), John Ashton (Taggart), Ronny Cox (Bogomil), Lisa Eilbacher (Jenny), and Steven Berkoff (Victor Maitland). Bronson Pinchot (Serge) and Paul Reiser (Jeff) also appear in supporting roles. The film also marked the big screen acting debut of Damon Wayans (as Banana Man). The film did incredible at the box office and was followed by two sequels - Beverly Hills Cop II in 1987 and Beverly Hills Cop III in 1994.

After his friend Mikey is killed on his doorstep, Detroit cop Axel Foley goes to Beverly Hills to investigate. Once there, Axel quickly discovers that prominent art dealer Victor Maitland may have been responsible for Mikey's death. However, Maitland has him arrested, and Lieutenant Bogomil assigns detectives Rosewood and Taggart to watch him when he gets out on bail. Undeterred, Axel continues his investigation, determined to bring Maitland to justice.

Beverly Hills Cop is one of my favorite Eddie Murphy films, as it deftly combines his humor and some great action. Though Murphy had starred in both 48 Hrs. and Trading Places previously, it wasn't until Cop that he got a chance to shine as the main star. Reinhold and Ashton also did a great job supporting Murphy in the picture, playing off his character extremely well with humorous results. The film is paced well throughout, balancing action with humor, and never has a dull moment.

Picture:
Beverly Hills Cop is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. For the exception of some grain, the transfer throughout is clean with very few specks and marks. There is some very minor edge enhancement that's noticeable as well. Colors are rich and free from bleeding, flesh tones are accurate and blacks are rich and detailed.

Sound:
Beverly Hills Cop is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 in English, and Dolby 2.0 Surround in English and French. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the 5.1 track, as the film is almost eighteen years old. Much of the film is still in mono, with very few surrounds and only some imaging. However, the film's music greatly benefits from the 5.1 track and sounds terrific throughout. Dialogue is clean and easy to understand during the film, with no distortion. Optional subtitles and captions are available in English.

Extras:
Beverly Hills Cop packs the most features of the newly released trilogy, and first up is the screen-specific commentary with Brest. Brest shares quite a few stories from the set, talks about the complications of shooting the film, mentions the casting decisions, and discusses the actors involved. However, Brest takes numerous pauses during the track, which makes what could have been a more entertaining listen somewhat dull.

Next up are four featurettes: Beverly Hills Cop: The Phenomenon Begins, Casting Beverly Hills Cop, The Music Of Beverly Hills Cop, and Location Map.

Beverly Hills Cop: The Phenomenon Begins clocks in at about twenty-nine minutes in length and discusses the obstacles and trials that the filmmakers went through to get the movie made. Many of the people involve with the film participate, including Brest, Bruckheimer, Reinhold, Ashton, and even Murphy. Particularly interesting to me were the stories involving Stallone in the lead role, which would've resulted in a completely different film. Many of the concepts he introduced to this film's story were carried over to Cobra when he left the picture.

Casting Beverly Hills Cop runs about nine and a half minutes in length and is hosted by casting director Margery Simkin. Brest, Cox, Ashton, and Reinhold also contribute interviews. Simkin spends some time talking about the casting of the film, including the changes made when Stallone exited the movie.

The Music Of Beverly Hills Cop is about eight minutes long and, through interviews, discusses the film's music, such as "Axel F" and "Heat is On."

Location Map is a map of seven locations used for the film. Angelo Graham, the production designer, spends half a minute to two minutes discussing each location and what was changed to make it how it appeared in the film.

Also included are a stills gallery and the film's trailer.

Summary:
Beverly Hills Cop is undeniably one of Eddie Murphy's best films. Unfortunately, his involvement in the disc is limited to a few interview snippets, but the included extras should be enough to get most fans excited. Paramount has done a great job with the presentation and the disc is priced reasonably at $24.99, so there's no reason that fans should pass. Highly Recommended!