Reception
Beverly Hills Cop was well received by critics and is considered by many as one of the best films of 1984. Eddie Murphy, in particular, received much acclaim for his performance. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote "Beverly Hills Cop finds Eddie Murphy doing what he does best: playing the shrewdest, hippest, fastest-talking underdog in a rich man's world. Eddie Murphy knows exactly what he's doing, and he wins at every turn". Richard Schickel of Time magazine felt that "Eddie Murphy exuded the kind of cheeky, cocky charm that has been missing from the screen since Cagney was a pup, snarling his way out of the ghetto". Axel Foley became Murphy's signature role and was ranked number 78 on Empire magazine's list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. Also Entertainment Weekly ranked Beverly Hills Cop as the third best comedy film of the last 25 years. According to Christopher Hitchens, the novelist Kingsley Amis considered the film "a flawless masterpiece."
Today, Beverly Hills Cop is regarded as a classic in the comedy genre and holds an 83% approval rating on the aggregate film website Rotten Tomatoes and 67% when counting Top Critics. The film was also picked as one of the 1000 Best Movies Ever Made by The New York Times.
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