Fresh off the heels of his successful biopic, Dolemite is My Name, Eddie Murphy has reportedly inked a deal with Netflix (who released Murphy’s latest to universal acclaim) to bring Beverly Hills Cop 4 to the streaming service. They say timing is everything. With the BH4 news, the timing is perfect for the release of all three Beverly Hills Cop movies on Blu-Ray in a special set from Paramount.
The release also is timed to the 35th Anniversary of the original action-comedy classic that firmly put Murphy on top of the cinematic world, after the success he enjoyed previously with 48 Hours and Trading Places. After wowing the world on Saturday Night Live, Murphy followed his idol Richard Pryor and successfully made the leap to the silver screen. There was something about the fish out of water set-up of the Detroit police officer who went to Beverly Hills to investigate the murder of his childhood friend and in the process ruffled a whole lot of BHPD feathers, that charmed audiences and still does to this day.
All three Beverly Hills Cop flicks are packaged together on Blu-Ray with some brand-new bonus features on the first film with some never-before-seen deleted scenes. The three Cop flicks have banked a total $735 million and its dominance over pop culture didn’t stop there … the first film’s progressive soundtrack earned a Grammy Award for its score.
Murphy as Alex Foley is as inseparable as peanut butter and jelly. I mean, think about it … can you imagine anyone else portraying that character. After the blockbuster success of the first film in 1984, Beverly Hills Cop 2 landed in 1987 and the third film in the series arrived in 1994.
When it comes to bonus features, the Beverly Hills Cop Blu-Ray features not one, but two unearthed deleted scenes that have never been experienced by anyone outside of an editing room in 35 years. There are also four behind-the-scenes featurettes that utilize interviews from the first flick’s original 1984 press junket that provide priceless insight into the making of the comedy classic as well as allow longtime fans the rarest of opportunities to hear from the filmmakers and stars while the entire experience was fresh in their collective minds. It all adds up to some stellar featurettes.
The Beverly Hills Cop Blu-Ray also does something incredibly unique. For this longtime appreciator of synth soundtracks and how they exploded on the scene in the Decade of Decadence, there is an isolated audio track of the original score by Harold Faltermeyer. That is some supremely awesome stuff right there that I personally had to listen to immediately after opening the three-disc package!
There’s also something entitled BHC Mixtape ’84. It is a fascinating feature that allows viewers to play the Blu-Ray like a greatest hits of the soundtrack. That soundtrack was part of a wave of hit music-laden albums that accompanied films back in the day, from Flashdance to Footloose to Beverly Hills Cop. I mean, look at this list of hits from that soundtrack that BHC Mixtape ’84 allows viewers to jump directly to while witnessing Murphy’s hilarious hijinks. There’s Glenn Frey’s The Heat Is On, The Pointer Sisters’ Neutron Dance,” Patti LaBelle’s New Attitude and Stir It Up, Junior Giscombe’s Do You Really and who could forget Nasty Girl by Vanity 6.
The following previously included bonus features are also included in the 35th anniversary Beverly Hills Cop Blu-Ray:
- Commentary by director Martin Brest
- Beverly Hills Cop—The Phenomenon Begins
- A Glimpse Inside the Casting Process
- The Music of Beverly Hills Cop
- Location Map
- Theatrical Trailer
For fans of Murphy and his Beverly Hills Cop movies, this is a must-own set. In fact, amongst the collections of classic films that have been packaged over the years—think Back to the Future, Rocky and Indiana Jones—if one does not have the Murphy cop comedy trio, that would be an enormous, big vacant hole in your home collection!