Movie review
June 20, 2024 · 115 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.
Woke representation / casting
Black lead Eddie Murphy and his Black daughter (Taylour Paige) fit the story logic exactly as in the originals; no audience-visible quotas, swaps, or signaling; new white male partner follows classic buddy-cop formula.
Woke political dialogue
Light old-school racial ribbing and hockey jokes in classic Axel style; no activist speeches, DEI lectures, or identity-based arguments.
Identity-driven story themes
Core focus stays on family reconnection, loyalty, and exposing corruption; no central race, gender, sexuality, or representation messaging.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Standard thriller plot about dirty cops and a cartel; corruption shown as individual villainy, not framed as systemic racism, patriarchy, or anti-Western ideology.
Review
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is a 2024 Netflix action-comedy sequel. Detroit detective Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills after his estranged daughter Jane, a criminal defense attorney, faces threats while defending a man framed for killing a cop. He teams up with old friends Billy Rosewood and John Taggart plus a new partner to expose a police corruption and drug cartel conspiracy. The story centers on family reconciliation, classic buddy-cop chases, and 1980s-style humor with no visible identity politics, DEI messaging, or modern activist themes. Casting fits the characters naturally, and the film plays as straightforward nostalgic entertainment.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. New daughter character and plot fit established Axel Foley without ideological rewrites to source material or history.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Scattered fan comments online note the absence of "woke nonsense"; no major news coverage or organized right-leaning complaints about identity politics; reaction evidence stays minimal.
Creator track record context
Most writers and producers have low or zero activist histories; Eddie Murphy made a single 2008 donation to Obama but publicly avoids politics and emphasizes faith; Bruckheimer leans conservative; director and newer producers show no identity-driven patterns.
Production
