Beverly Hills Cop III
Encyclopedia
Beverly Hills Cop III is a 1994 action
-comedy film
starring Eddie Murphy
and directed by John Landis
, who had previously worked with Murphy on Trading Places
and Coming to America
. It is the third film in the Beverly Hills Cop series
.
Murphy returns as Detroit cop Axel Foley
, who once again returns to Beverly Hills, California to stop a gang of counterfeiters, responsible for the death of his boss. Foley teams up with his friend, Beverly Hills detective Billy Rosewood
(Judge Reinhold
), and his investigation leads him to an amusement park known as Wonderworld. The film features a number of cameo appearances by well-known film personalities including Robert B. Sherman
, Arthur Hiller
, John Singleton, Joe Dante
, special effects legend Ray Harryhausen
, and George Lucas
as a ride patron.
Beverly Hills Cop III was released on May 25, 1994 and grossed US$
44 million in the United States, and over $75 million in the foreign box office. The film was considered by critics and admittedly by Murphy himself as the most disappointing film in the series.
) sees his boss, Inspector Douglas Todd (Gil Hill
), getting killed by a well-dressed man. Using his last breath, Inspector Todd tells Axel to get the man who shot him, and Axel promises that he'll do that.
Axel finds the killer's vehicle at Wonder World, a theme park in Beverly Hills, California. In Beverly Hills, Axel is reunited with his friend Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold
), who tells Axel that John Taggart is now retired and living in Arizona.
Billy is now the "deputy director of operations for joint systems interdepartmental operational command" (DDO-JSIOC). Billy also has an employee named Jon Flint (Hector Elizondo
).
Axel checks out Wonder World, which is owned by Dave "Uncle Dave" Thornton (Alan Young
). At Wonder World, Axel rescues two kids who are stuck on a ride that broke down because of a pair of security guards who were after Axel.
After that, Axel is taken to see the park's head of security, Ellis DeWald (Timothy Carhart
), and Axel recognizes DeWald as Inspector Todd's killer. Jon refuses to believe that, because DeWald is a good friend of his. What Axel, Jon, and Billy don't know is that DeWald runs a counterfeiting ring that uses Wonder World as a front, and park manager Orrin Sanderson (John Saxon
) is in league with DeWald.
Axel finds himself falling in love with Janice Perkins (Theresa Randle
), who works at the park. When Dave later gets shot by DeWald, Axel is accused of shooting Dave. And as it turns out, corrupt FBI agent Steve Fullbright (Stephen McHattie
) is in league with DeWald.
With the help of Billy and Jon, Axel sets out to prove his innocence by storming the park. The resulting shootout kills DeWald and his men, and then Axel fatally shoots Fullbright in self defense.
Dave recovers, and he thanks Axel by killing the City's traitor DeWald creating a new character for Wonder World -- Axel the Fox.
The dialogue in the film reveals that Sergeant Taggart has retired; a detective named Jon Flint (Hector Elizondo
) is effectively Rosewood's partner in the movie. The whereabouts of Andrew Bogomil is not mentioned (he was promoted to Police Chief at the end of the last movie). In the first scene in Rosewood's office, a framed photograph of himself, Foley, Taggart and Bogomil can be seen; this is the same photograph glimpsed in Bogomil's home in Beverly Hills Cop II.
originally wrote the story as more “Die Hard
in a theme park”. He was told that each of the rides he had designed would cost about $10 million to build and the whole film would cost about $70 million. When box office results for The Distinguished Gentleman
came in, Paramount
ordered the budget to be cut to $55 million. Paramount had earlier told Don Simpson
and Jerry Bruckheimer
that they would only outlay $25 million for a proposed version to be set in New York City, one of the main reasons that the super-producer team parted ways with the studio; they also tried to get Joel Silver
to make the movie for an inadequate budget, and only conceded the film would need more money and time to make when successful producers Mace Neufeld
and Robert Rehme took on the project. Consequently the film became more about the investigation and less about the action.
Production was temporarily shut down to allow the Paramount
top brass the chance to get to grips with the film's spiraling budget. Originally estimated at $55 million, it was soon in excess of US$70 million. Of that budget, $15 million was Eddie Murphy's paycheck.
and Vortex roller coaster. The park is in Santa Clara, California
and not Beverly Hills as portrayed in the movie. Most of the Sky Whirl stunts were filmed in a studio. In this scene, George Lucas
has a small part as the man Axel cuts in front of to get on the ride, also known as 'disappointed man' (this can be seen in the credits). The tunnels that supposedly ran under the park are a myth as well. No tunnels run under the park, as many thought after this was released. Many rides that were seen in the movie including Triple Play and the Sky Whirl
(now a roller coaster) have since been removed. Also, the carousel at the back of the park (a single story one, not the Columbia Carousel) was altered. The single story one was removed for Drop Zone. The ride featured in the rescue scene at the park was Triple Wheel (formerly known as Sky Whirl). Since the movie was made, the ride has been demolished and scrapped.
The Alien Attack ride featured in the Wonderworld theme park was in fact the Earthquake: The Big One attraction from the Universal Studios Florida
theme park in Orlando, FL. The "aliens" featured in the ride are suited actors (and not animatronic
as suggested in the film) which closely resembled the Cylons
from the original Battlestar Galactica
.
The film's director John Landis
hired the Sherman Brothers
to write the "Wonderworld Song
" which appears throughout the second half of the movie. The song is a comedic take on their own signature song, "It's A Small World".
Barbet Schroeder
made a short appearance as a Porsche driver. Robert B. Sherman
also makes a cameo in the film. In the film, he sits next to Arthur Hiller
and Ray Harryhausen
in a bar when they hear that "Uncle Dave" is shot. "Uncle" Dave Thornton is the owner of Wonderworld; he is played by Alan Young
as a character modeled loosely after Walt Disney
, the Sherman Brothers' mentor. Richard Sherman was filmed in a cameo as a band leader, but it was cut from the final version of the film.
. It peaked at 158 on the Billboard 200
and 66 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
.
(who portrayed John Taggart), Ronny Cox
(Andrew Bogomil) and Paul Reiser
(Jeffrey Friedman), who did not reprise their roles. Secondly, original producers Don Simpson
and Jerry Bruckheimer
were not involved in the production as they were previously. Many critics felt the movie was a generic, formulaic action-comedy film. Critics also felt Eddie Murphy gave a somewhat routine performance as Axel Foley. In an interview in 1994, Eddie Murphy said that Beverly Hills Cop III is "different from the trilogy's first installment because Axel is more mature and no longer the wisecracking rookie cop."
In a 2005 interview, John Landis claimed that Eddie Murphy worked against the comedy of Beverly Hills Cop III. Landis said that the movie "was a very strange experience. The script was not any good, but I figured, 'So what? I will make it funny with Eddie.' I mean, one of the worst scripts I ever read was [the original] Beverly Hills Cop. It was a piece of shit, that script. But the movie is very funny because Eddie Murphy and Martin Brest
made it funny. And with Bronson Pinchot
... that was all improvised. Everything funny in that movie is not in the screenplay, so I thought, 'Well, we will do that.' But then I discovered on the first day when I started giving Eddie some shtick, he said, 'You know, John... Axel Foley is an adult now. He is not a wiseass anymore.' I believe he was very jealous of Denzel Washington
and Wesley Snipes
doing these [straight roles]. So, with Beverly Hills Cop III, I had this strange experience where he was very professional, but he just was not funny. I would try to put him in funny situations, and he would find a way to step around them. It is an odd movie. There are things in it I like, but it is an odd movie."
In an interview with The A.V. Club
in 2009, Bronson Pinchot claimed that Eddie Murphy "was really depressed" at the time Beverly Hills Cop III was being filmed: "Eddie was going through his period at the time of doing movies that were not hits, and he was very low-spirited, low-energy. I said to him, "All anyone ever wants to know when they meet me is what you’re like." And he said, "I bet they don’t ask that anymore." And then when we did a scene, we were shooting, and he was so low-energy that John Landis sent him upstairs and said, "Just rest, Eddie, and I’ll do the scene with Bronson." So whenever you see my face in the movie, I’m not really talking to Eddie, I’m talking to John Landis. And I can understand it — he was just having a bad stretch...I don’t know what started the funk, but it lasted a chunk of time, and that was in the belly of the funk, and he was just really sad and low-energy and I basically did the scene without him there."
Eddie Murphy
first said he thought "Beverly Hills Cop III was infinitely better than Beverly Hills Cop II. " He later claimed during an interview in 2006 that he felt the third film was "atrocious" and such a disgrace that "the character was kind of banished for a while [from Hollywood]." He said he felt the third film did not reveal enough of the "edginess" of Axel that was present in the first two films. He also said he hopes to return the edgy qualities to the character for the fourth film, and is going to pay more attention to the development of the project and its quality.
Based on the criticism, the film was nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards
, for Landis as Worst Director and the film as Worst Remake or Sequel.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
-comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
and directed by John Landis
John Landis
John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...
, who had previously worked with Murphy on Trading Places
Trading Places
Trading Places is a 1983 American comedy film, of the satire genre, directed by John Landis, starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. It tells the story of an upper class commodities broker and a homeless street hustler whose lives cross paths when they are unknowingly made part of an elaborate bet...
and Coming to America
Coming to America
Coming to America is a 1988 comedy film directed by John Landis. The screenplay was written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, from a story by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the film. Murphy plays an African prince, who heads to the United States in hopes of finding a woman he can marry...
. It is the third film in the Beverly Hills Cop series
Beverly Hills Cop (film series)
Beverly Hills Cop is a series of action-comedy films, with characters written by Daniel Petrie, Jr. and Danilo Bach. The films star Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold and John Ashton, though Ashton does not appear in Beverly Hills Cop III. Harold Faltermeyer produced the now famous "Axel F" theme song...
.
Murphy returns as Detroit cop Axel Foley
Axel Foley
Axel Foley is a fictional character, portrayed by Eddie Murphy, and is the main protagonist of the Beverly Hills Cop film franchise. He is ranked number 78 on Empire Magazine's list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time...
, who once again returns to Beverly Hills, California to stop a gang of counterfeiters, responsible for the death of his boss. Foley teams up with his friend, Beverly Hills detective Billy Rosewood
Billy Rosewood
William "Billy" Rosewood is a fictional character from the Beverly Hills Cop film series, and is portrayed by Judge Reinhold.-Fictional character biography:...
(Judge Reinhold
Judge Reinhold
Judge Reinhold is an American actor, perhaps best known for co-starring in movies such as Beverly Hills Cop, Ruthless People, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and The Santa Clause trilogy.-Early life:...
), and his investigation leads him to an amusement park known as Wonderworld. The film features a number of cameo appearances by well-known film personalities including Robert B. Sherman
Robert B. Sherman
Robert Bernard Sherman is an American songwriter who specializes in musical films with his brother Richard Morton Sherman...
, Arthur Hiller
Arthur Hiller
Arthur Hiller, OC is a Canadian film director. His filmography includes 33 major studio releases, including the 1970 film Love Story...
, John Singleton, Joe Dante
Joe Dante
Joseph "Joe" Dante, Jr. is an American film director and producer of films generally with humorous and science fiction content....
, special effects legend Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen is an American film producer and special effects creator...
, and George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
as a ride patron.
Beverly Hills Cop III was released on May 25, 1994 and grossed US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
44 million in the United States, and over $75 million in the foreign box office. The film was considered by critics and admittedly by Murphy himself as the most disappointing film in the series.
Plot
One night in Detroit, during a shootout at a chop shop, Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie MurphyEddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
) sees his boss, Inspector Douglas Todd (Gil Hill
Gil Hill
Gilbert R. "Gil" Hill is a former President of the Detroit City Council. He was also a Detroit police officer and part-time actor, gaining recognition in the Beverly Hills Cop movie franchise....
), getting killed by a well-dressed man. Using his last breath, Inspector Todd tells Axel to get the man who shot him, and Axel promises that he'll do that.
Axel finds the killer's vehicle at Wonder World, a theme park in Beverly Hills, California. In Beverly Hills, Axel is reunited with his friend Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold
Judge Reinhold
Judge Reinhold is an American actor, perhaps best known for co-starring in movies such as Beverly Hills Cop, Ruthless People, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and The Santa Clause trilogy.-Early life:...
), who tells Axel that John Taggart is now retired and living in Arizona.
Billy is now the "deputy director of operations for joint systems interdepartmental operational command" (DDO-JSIOC). Billy also has an employee named Jon Flint (Hector Elizondo
Hector Elizondo
Héctor Elizondo is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in the play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award...
).
Axel checks out Wonder World, which is owned by Dave "Uncle Dave" Thornton (Alan Young
Alan Young
Alan Young is an English-Canadian actor and voice actor, best known for his role as Wilbur Post in the television series Mister Ed and as the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, TV series and video games...
). At Wonder World, Axel rescues two kids who are stuck on a ride that broke down because of a pair of security guards who were after Axel.
After that, Axel is taken to see the park's head of security, Ellis DeWald (Timothy Carhart
Timothy Carhart
Timothy Carhart is an American actor. Carhart was born in Washington, DC. and travelled to Izmir and Ankara in Turkey and Verdun in France before returning to the US and studying theater, where he has been acting since at least the late 1970s...
), and Axel recognizes DeWald as Inspector Todd's killer. Jon refuses to believe that, because DeWald is a good friend of his. What Axel, Jon, and Billy don't know is that DeWald runs a counterfeiting ring that uses Wonder World as a front, and park manager Orrin Sanderson (John Saxon
John Saxon (actor)
John Saxon is an American actor who has worked on over 200 projects during the span of sixty years. Saxon is most known for his work in horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Black Christmas, both of which feature Saxon as a policeman in search of the killer...
) is in league with DeWald.
Axel finds himself falling in love with Janice Perkins (Theresa Randle
Theresa Randle
Theresa E. Randle is an American stage, film and television actress.Randle was born in Los Angeles, California. She began her performing career by studying dance and comedy. She entered Beverly Hills College with a special program for the exceptionally gifted...
), who works at the park. When Dave later gets shot by DeWald, Axel is accused of shooting Dave. And as it turns out, corrupt FBI agent Steve Fullbright (Stephen McHattie
Stephen McHattie
Stephen McHattie is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:McHattie was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia....
) is in league with DeWald.
With the help of Billy and Jon, Axel sets out to prove his innocence by storming the park. The resulting shootout kills DeWald and his men, and then Axel fatally shoots Fullbright in self defense.
Dave recovers, and he thanks Axel by killing the City's traitor DeWald creating a new character for Wonder World -- Axel the Fox.
The dialogue in the film reveals that Sergeant Taggart has retired; a detective named Jon Flint (Hector Elizondo
Hector Elizondo
Héctor Elizondo is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in the play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award...
) is effectively Rosewood's partner in the movie. The whereabouts of Andrew Bogomil is not mentioned (he was promoted to Police Chief at the end of the last movie). In the first scene in Rosewood's office, a framed photograph of himself, Foley, Taggart and Bogomil can be seen; this is the same photograph glimpsed in Bogomil's home in Beverly Hills Cop II.
Cast
- Eddie MurphyEddie MurphyEdward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
as Axel FoleyAxel FoleyAxel Foley is a fictional character, portrayed by Eddie Murphy, and is the main protagonist of the Beverly Hills Cop film franchise. He is ranked number 78 on Empire Magazine's list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time... - Jon Tenney as Levine
- Joey TravoltaJoey TravoltaJoseph "Joey" Travolta is an American actor, producer, director and writer. His brother is actor John Travolta.-Early life:...
as Giolito
Production
Writer Steven E. de SouzaSteven E. de Souza
Steven E. de Souza is an American producer, director and screenwriter. He is among a handful of screenwriters whose films have earned over two billion dollars at the worldwide box office.-Life and career:...
originally wrote the story as more “Die Hard
Die Hard
Die Hard is a 1988 American action film and the first in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. It is based on a 1979 novel by Roderick Thorp titled Nothing Lasts Forever, itself a sequel to the book The Detective, which...
in a theme park”. He was told that each of the rides he had designed would cost about $10 million to build and the whole film would cost about $70 million. When box office results for The Distinguished Gentleman
The Distinguished Gentleman
The Distinguished Gentleman is a comedy starring Eddie Murphy. The film was directed by Jonathan Lynn. In addition to Murphy, the film stars Lane Smith, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Joe Don Baker, Victoria Rowell, Grant Shaud, Kevin McCarthy, Charles S...
came in, Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
ordered the budget to be cut to $55 million. Paramount had earlier told Don Simpson
Don Simpson
Donald Clarence "Don" Simpson was an American film producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is known for producing such hits as Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun and The Rock...
and Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerome Leon "Jerry" Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer. He has achieved great success in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. His best known television series are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Eleventh Hour, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The...
that they would only outlay $25 million for a proposed version to be set in New York City, one of the main reasons that the super-producer team parted ways with the studio; they also tried to get Joel Silver
Joel Silver
Joel Silver is an American Hollywood film producer, co-creator of the sport of Ultimate, co-founder of Dark Castle Entertainment and owner of Silver Pictures.-Life and career:...
to make the movie for an inadequate budget, and only conceded the film would need more money and time to make when successful producers Mace Neufeld
Mace Neufeld
Mace Alvin Neufeld is an American film and television producer.-Life and career:Neufeld was born in New York City, New York, the son of Margaret Ruth and Philip M. Neufeld, a stockbroker. He married on 28 February 1954...
and Robert Rehme took on the project. Consequently the film became more about the investigation and less about the action.
Production was temporarily shut down to allow the Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
top brass the chance to get to grips with the film's spiraling budget. Originally estimated at $55 million, it was soon in excess of US$70 million. Of that budget, $15 million was Eddie Murphy's paycheck.
Wonderworld
The theme park featured in the film is California's Great America. However, some modifications were made to the Columbia CarouselColumbia Carousel
Carousel Columbia is a pair of double-decked carousels at Six Flags Great America and at California's Great America...
and Vortex roller coaster. The park is in Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
and not Beverly Hills as portrayed in the movie. Most of the Sky Whirl stunts were filmed in a studio. In this scene, George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
has a small part as the man Axel cuts in front of to get on the ride, also known as 'disappointed man' (this can be seen in the credits). The tunnels that supposedly ran under the park are a myth as well. No tunnels run under the park, as many thought after this was released. Many rides that were seen in the movie including Triple Play and the Sky Whirl
Sky Whirl
Sky Whirl was an Intamin Triple Giant Ferris wheel that operated at both Marriott's Great America Parks.-History:It was basically 3 arms with 2 wheels always spinning while one was on the ground loading. It gave park guests a chance to relax and get a cool breeze. It was a ride for the whole...
(now a roller coaster) have since been removed. Also, the carousel at the back of the park (a single story one, not the Columbia Carousel) was altered. The single story one was removed for Drop Zone. The ride featured in the rescue scene at the park was Triple Wheel (formerly known as Sky Whirl). Since the movie was made, the ride has been demolished and scrapped.
The Alien Attack ride featured in the Wonderworld theme park was in fact the Earthquake: The Big One attraction from the Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida is an American theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Opened on June 7, 1990, the park's theme is the entertainment industry, in particular movies and television. Universal Studios Florida inspires its guests to "ride the movies," and it features numerous attractions and...
theme park in Orlando, FL. The "aliens" featured in the ride are suited actors (and not animatronic
Animatronics
Animatronics is the use of mechatronics to create machines which seem animate rather than robotic. Animatronic creations include animals , plants and even mythical creatures...
as suggested in the film) which closely resembled the Cylons
Cylon (1978)
Cylons are a fictional race of robots in the original Battlestar Galactica TV series. They are the primary antagonists of the series and are at war with the Twelve Colonies of humanity. The Cylons also appeared in the short-lived 1980 spin-off series Galactica 1980.The Cylons were created by a...
from the original Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
.
The film's director John Landis
John Landis
John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...
hired the Sherman Brothers
Sherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers are an American songwriting duo that specialize in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman ....
to write the "Wonderworld Song
Wonderworld Song
"The Wonderworld Song" was written by Robert and Richard Sherman for Beverly Hills Cop III. The film's director John Landis hired the Sherman Brothers to write the song which appears throughout the second half of the movie. The song is a comedic take on the songwriters' own signature song, "it's a...
" which appears throughout the second half of the movie. The song is a comedic take on their own signature song, "It's A Small World".
Barbet Schroeder
Barbet Schroeder
Barbet Schroeder is a Franco-Swiss movie director and producer who started his career in French cinema in the 1960s, working together with directors such as Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Rivette.-Life and career:...
made a short appearance as a Porsche driver. Robert B. Sherman
Robert B. Sherman
Robert Bernard Sherman is an American songwriter who specializes in musical films with his brother Richard Morton Sherman...
also makes a cameo in the film. In the film, he sits next to Arthur Hiller
Arthur Hiller
Arthur Hiller, OC is a Canadian film director. His filmography includes 33 major studio releases, including the 1970 film Love Story...
and Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen is an American film producer and special effects creator...
in a bar when they hear that "Uncle Dave" is shot. "Uncle" Dave Thornton is the owner of Wonderworld; he is played by Alan Young
Alan Young
Alan Young is an English-Canadian actor and voice actor, best known for his role as Wilbur Post in the television series Mister Ed and as the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, TV series and video games...
as a character modeled loosely after Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
, the Sherman Brothers' mentor. Richard Sherman was filmed in a cameo as a band leader, but it was cut from the final version of the film.
Soundtrack
A soundtrack containing mostly R&B music was released on May 10, 1994 by MCA RecordsMCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
. It peaked at 158 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and 66 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
.
Critical response
The film was criticized for many reasons. For one, fans of the series missed John AshtonJohn Ashton (actor)
John David Ashton is an American actor born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and graduate of the University of Southern California School of Theatre.John Ashton attended Enfield High School in Enfield, Connecticut....
(who portrayed John Taggart), Ronny Cox
Ronny Cox
Daniel Ronald "Ronny" Cox is an American character actor, singer-songwriter and guitarist.-Personal life:Cox, the third of five children, was born in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, the son of Lounette and Bob P. Cox, a carpenter who also worked at a dairy. He grew up in Portales, New Mexico...
(Andrew Bogomil) and Paul Reiser
Paul Reiser
Paul Reiser is an American stand-up comedian, actor, television personality, author, screenwriter and musician. He is most widely known for his role on the long-running television sitcom Mad About You.-Early life:...
(Jeffrey Friedman), who did not reprise their roles. Secondly, original producers Don Simpson
Don Simpson
Donald Clarence "Don" Simpson was an American film producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is known for producing such hits as Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun and The Rock...
and Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerome Leon "Jerry" Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer. He has achieved great success in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. His best known television series are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Eleventh Hour, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The...
were not involved in the production as they were previously. Many critics felt the movie was a generic, formulaic action-comedy film. Critics also felt Eddie Murphy gave a somewhat routine performance as Axel Foley. In an interview in 1994, Eddie Murphy said that Beverly Hills Cop III is "different from the trilogy's first installment because Axel is more mature and no longer the wisecracking rookie cop."
In a 2005 interview, John Landis claimed that Eddie Murphy worked against the comedy of Beverly Hills Cop III. Landis said that the movie "was a very strange experience. The script was not any good, but I figured, 'So what? I will make it funny with Eddie.' I mean, one of the worst scripts I ever read was [the original] Beverly Hills Cop. It was a piece of shit, that script. But the movie is very funny because Eddie Murphy and Martin Brest
Martin Brest
Martin Brest is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer.-Education:He was born in a Jewish family in the Bronx, New York....
made it funny. And with Bronson Pinchot
Bronson Pinchot
Bronson Alcott Pinchot is an American actor. He has appeared in several feature films, including Risky Business, Beverly Hills Cop , The First Wives Club, True Romance, Courage Under Fire and It's My Party...
... that was all improvised. Everything funny in that movie is not in the screenplay, so I thought, 'Well, we will do that.' But then I discovered on the first day when I started giving Eddie some shtick, he said, 'You know, John... Axel Foley is an adult now. He is not a wiseass anymore.' I believe he was very jealous of Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
and Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes
Wesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
doing these [straight roles]. So, with Beverly Hills Cop III, I had this strange experience where he was very professional, but he just was not funny. I would try to put him in funny situations, and he would find a way to step around them. It is an odd movie. There are things in it I like, but it is an odd movie."
In an interview with The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
in 2009, Bronson Pinchot claimed that Eddie Murphy "was really depressed" at the time Beverly Hills Cop III was being filmed: "Eddie was going through his period at the time of doing movies that were not hits, and he was very low-spirited, low-energy. I said to him, "All anyone ever wants to know when they meet me is what you’re like." And he said, "I bet they don’t ask that anymore." And then when we did a scene, we were shooting, and he was so low-energy that John Landis sent him upstairs and said, "Just rest, Eddie, and I’ll do the scene with Bronson." So whenever you see my face in the movie, I’m not really talking to Eddie, I’m talking to John Landis. And I can understand it — he was just having a bad stretch...I don’t know what started the funk, but it lasted a chunk of time, and that was in the belly of the funk, and he was just really sad and low-energy and I basically did the scene without him there."
Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
first said he thought "Beverly Hills Cop III was infinitely better than Beverly Hills Cop II. " He later claimed during an interview in 2006 that he felt the third film was "atrocious" and such a disgrace that "the character was kind of banished for a while [from Hollywood]." He said he felt the third film did not reveal enough of the "edginess" of Axel that was present in the first two films. He also said he hopes to return the edgy qualities to the character for the fourth film, and is going to pay more attention to the development of the project and its quality.
Based on the criticism, the film was nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards
Golden Raspberry Awards
A Golden Raspberry Award, or Razzie for short, is an award presented in recognition of the worst in movies. Founded by American copywriter and publicist John J.B. Wilson in 1981, the annual Razzie Awards ceremony in Los Angeles precedes the corresponding Academy Awards ceremony by one day...
, for Landis as Worst Director and the film as Worst Remake or Sequel.