ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 27, 1994                   TAG: 9405270097
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

III STRIKES AND THIS COP IS OUT

Realistically, no one expects much from a movie with ``III'' at the end of the title. Even so, ``Beverly Hills Cop III'' is pretty lame.

It's a poorly written shoot-'em-up that's long on bullets and short on the Eddie Murphy charm that made the original so enjoyable. The gimmick to this one is evil doings at a Disneyesque theme park, but, like the rest of the film, it's handled so ineptly that it's not remotely engaging.

As a pretext to bring Detroit policeman Alex Foley (Murphy) back to California, he stumbles across a gang of bad guys who have just massacred the mechanics in a chop shop. The clumsy villains leave behind a clue, a towel from a hotel at WonderWorld, and a sinister fed (Stephen McHattie) warns Axel to leave the case alone.

If that sounds like the set-up for a second-rate TV cop show, so does the rest of the movie. The script by Steven deSouza is a series of cliches and bad dialogue interrupted by poorly staged chase scenes and fights. The sole bit of humor comes from Bronson Pinchot, appearing again as Serge. His bizarre accent is good for a few chuckles but nothing more.

Director John Landis did manage to get several of his fellow filmmakers to appear in cameo roles. George Lucas, Martha Coolidge, Joe Dante, Arthur Hiller, Ray Harryhausen, Barbet Schroeder and John Singleton pop up in unexpected places.

The action scenes themselves are nothing special. The stunt work is acceptable; the camera is in focus; the explosions are loud. If they had anything to do with a coherent story or time spent with a likeable protagonist, this one might have been a fair time-waster. As it is, even Eddie Murphy's most ardent fans are likely to be disappointed.

Good-bye, Axel. ``III'' strikes and you're out.

Beverly Hills Cop III 1/2

A Paramount release playing at the Salem Valley 8 and Valley View Mall 6. 100 min. Rated R for graphic violence, strong language. 


 by CNB