DVD review: Eddie Murphy MIA from ‘Beverly Hills Cop’

Geoff Carter

Friday, Feb. 15, 2002 | 9:49 a.m.

There are two sequences of establishing shots in the 1984 action-comedy "Beverly Hills Cop." The first series, which plays under the credits, is a group of static shots of real Detroiters, which director Martin Brest shot with a hidden camera. The second is a group of quick impressions of Beverly Hills, shot from a moving car with actors in place of citizens.

I remembered both sequences from when I saw the Eddie Murphy vehicle in theaters. And I caught bits and pieces of them on cable for years afterward. But it wasn't until last week, when I watched the Special Collector's DVD Edition of "Cop" (Paramount DVD, $24.99), that I realized how appropriate they were.

The static Detroit shots tell the viewer a bit about the life of Murphy's Axel Foley, and the moving, quick-edit Beverly Hills shots -- practically a collage -- tell you how far out of his depth he is. In those first shots of Detroit, Brest explains how Foley is able to fast-talk his way through Beverly Hills; the latter city looks exactly like Disneyland to Foley, and everyone in it is a costumed character -- a mouse with a head the size of a television set.

Even Brest realizes he's over the rainbow. In the course of the DVD's feature-length commentary, Brest stops narrating more than once to marvel at the picture's audacity, and deems his favorite moments "delicious." And he allows himself to be amazed even now that "Beverly Hills Cop," which up to two weeks prior to shooting was supposed to star Sylvester Stallone, was a success at all.

Ah, the interesting things you find out when sifting through made-for-DVD documentaries. Not only was Murphy dropped into the picture with little chance to rehearse, he had to largely improvise his part around the work that was done to accommodate Stallone. Actor Ronny Cox, in particular, was amazed by Murphy's ability to take extraordinary detours and somehow come back to Cox's line.

Unfortunately, Murphy isn't around to tell you these stories himself. For some reason or another, Murphy's involvement with the "Cop" DVD is limited to less than a minute's worth of interview time, and he isn't saying anything you don't already know. It's hardly a mystery why he wasn't involved, though: He probably wanted a fee to appear on the disc.

Recently the studios have blanched at paying actors to appear on special edition DVDs, no matter how many millions of dollars the film made in theatrical release. Arnold Schwarzenegger received a $75,000 fee to record a commentary for "Total Recall," a film that's made $261 million worldwide to date. Studio executives reckon they could have made the same money from the DVD release without the actor's involvement.

That may be true, but it's a cheat to the consumer who buys DVDs not just for the enhanced picture and sound, but also for the documentary content that explains how a film was made and why it endures. Even "Beverly Hills Cop" -- a lightweight film that made heavyweight money -- gains deeper resonance when you understand what went into making it.

It's more than an amusement-park ride. A well-made DVD package is similar to Brest's Detroit shots in "Cop" -- the viewer gains grounding, perspective. Without the extras, you're rushing through Beverly Hills without slowing down, and while the view is nice, you don't know how you got there or what you're supposed to do.

Next time, Paramount may want to really dig into those pockets made deep by "Cop's" $316 million gross, pay Murphy what he wants and firmly establish the comedy's place on the map. Without the perspective of its main citizen, the DVD of "Beverly Hills Cop" is a man without a country.