Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

Director:

John Landis

Writers (WGA):

Danilo Bach (character) and
Daniel Petrie Jr. (character) ...

Release Date:

25 May 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

It's on!

Plot:

Axel Foley, while investigating a car theft ring, comes across something much bigger than that: the same men who shot his boss are running a counterfeit money ring out of a theme park in Los Angeles.

Plot Keywords:

Amazing Grace Hymn | Person On Fire | No Opening Credits | No Title At Beginning | Amusement Park

Awards:

2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. May 30

4:45 AM

HBO

Cast

Eddie Murphy	...	Det. Axel Foley
Jon Tenney	...	Levine
Joey Travolta	...	Giolito
Eugene Collier	...	Leppert
Jimmy Ortega	...	Rondell
Ousaun Elam	...	Pederson
Ray Lykins	...	Nixon
Tim Gilbert	...	McKee
Rick Avery	...	Cline
Gilbert R. Hill	...	Insp. Douglas Todd (as Gil Hill)
Dick Purtan	...	Detroit Disc Jockey
Fred Asparagus	...	Bobby
Louis Lombardi	...	Snake
Lindsey Ginter	...	Holloway
Timothy Carhart	...	Ellis De Wald

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby SR

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | France:U | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Brazil:12 | Canada:AA (Ontario) (re-rating) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | USA:R (certificate #32824) | Canada:14+ (Ontario - 2006) | Finland:K-15 (re-rating) | Canada:R (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:14A | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Iceland:16 | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills Police Department - 464 N Rexford Dr., Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The Alien Attack ride that Janice (Theresa Randle) demonstrates to Axel when he first comes to Wonderworld is actually the Earthquake section of the Studio Tour at Universal Studios in Hollywood. The alien robots are similar to the Cylons from "Battlestar Galactica" (1978).

Goofs:

Continuity: Right after Foley sees the counterfeit money room and is cornered in the main park area by security, he pulls out his gun and fires three rounds into the air. When he lowers the gun and the camera is on him again, the gun appears to be empty (the barrel is completely exposed and waiting to be re-cocked).

Quotes:

Axel: Boss, I cancelled SWAT.
Todd: WHAT? I wouldn't raid a church bingo game without SWAT.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Beverly Hills Cop IV (2009)

Soundtrack:

The Right Kinda Lover

more comedy, but still good

The thing I like about the BEVERLY HILLS COP movies is that each one is a little different. The first has a nice balance between comedy and seriousness, the second is a little more darker, and the third is a bit more on the lighter side. I've always wanted to see an action movie make good use of an amusement park. Not just a one-scene visit or something, but a film that actually shows us the "inside story" of one, exploring the control rooms and the underground workings. BEVERLY HILLS COP 3 did just that. The opening sequence in Detroit gets the film off to a good start with a shocking and unexpected moment, which prompts Axel to return once again to the land of Beverly Hills. Once things get going, it's clear to see that this is a different film from the others in terms of how much comedy there is.

Bronson Pinchot's Serge returns in a funny scene, but John Ashton (and Ronny Cox) are absent this time around, Det. Taggart having retired. Judge Reinhold is back, and Hector Elizondo is on board. Not quite as good as Ashton, but he does the job. Timothy Carhart makes the perfect slimeball criminal, and Alan Young (Scrooge McDuck himself) is a pleasure as Uncle Dave, the owner of the Wonderworld amusement park. My favorite sequence involves Axel rescuing two kids from a malfunctioning ride. Man, where did they find that crazy stuntman? Just watch the scene and you'll see what I mean when I say that was one crazy guy. It would have been nice had Disney allowed them to use Disneyland as the park, but (since they didn't want their park to be associated with an R-rated movie) Paramount had to find another place, and what better to use than a park you already own? Paramount's Great America, located in Santa Clara, California, was a terrific stand-in for Wonderworld. Local residents who have been there countless times (like myself) will have fun pointing at things and saying, "That's not there."

And don't forget to keep an eye out for all those cameos. That's special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen at the bar, director Joe Dante as a jail cop, and George Lucas himself as the angry park visitor Axel cuts in front of. Still not as good as the first one, a little more enjoyable than the second, but still a fun movie.