BEVERLY HILLS COP II (1987) *1/2 It's not entirely difficult to feel bad for Eddie Murphy as his career declined into Walt Disney remakes of good movies. But to do so is to forget the absolute schlock that he bought into that led him to such a predicament. Here a cop friend of his is shot, but recovers nicely and apparently communicates with various cast members including Eddie, while Eddie desperately tries to uncover what it is that his friend had uncovered leading to the shooting. Um, slight but fundamental plot problem. Of course none of this matters as the "action" is powered by a surprisingly good, and exasperatingly catchy, electronic keyboard and drum machine line. Eddie is good, more than that brilliant, at his 20-30 second bullshit monologues imitating various personae (perhaps someday his shrink will write a best-seller and move to Uruguay) and this appears to be what the "plot" is written around. There's a nice Ferrari. The lack of a legitimate female role is inadequately appeased by a strip joint scene and a party at the Playboy mansion. Problem is that there aren't any legit male roles either, which excuses the second-billed casting of Judge Reinhold as a peach-fuzz saccharine gun-nut cop.
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