
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, June 10, 1994                    TAG: 9406100049 
SECTION: DAILY BREAK                     PAGE: B15    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: BY BRENT BOWLES, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT 
DATELINE: 940610                                 LENGTH: Medium

``BEVERLY HILLS COP III'' PREDICTABLE BUT FUN

{LEAD} IT WAS INEVITABLE. It's taken seven years, but Eddie Murphy has finally returned as Detroit cop Axel Foley in ``Beverly Hills Cop III,'' and he takes us for another rollicking good time.

In this one, Foley's Detroit captain is killed, and he suspects the head of security at Wonderworld, a Disney-like L.A. theme park, is behind it. Foley discovers a counterfeit ring operating at Wonderworld involving the park's security force and a corrupt Secret Service officer.

{REST} The story is really thin, predictable from start to finish, but is nevertheless fun to watch.

Murphy returns to his best-loved role as Foley, but by now he's a little stale. There is no sign of the hilarious impersonations and characters Murphy created for various situations in the first two movies, but that wide-mouthed smile and guttural laugh are enough to hold us in place. He's surrounded by inept actors who seem misplaced.

Returning from previous versions are the totally goofy Judge Reinhold as Sgt. Billy Rosewood and a scene-stealing Bronson Pinchot as the strangely accented Serge, now in the weapons business at, get this, the Survival Boutique.

The meanie this time is Ellis Dewald, played by Timothy Cathart, a respected security man who no one suspects, except the audience. Hector Elizondo tags along as a fellow Beverly Hills cop, replacing John Ashton as Taggart from the first two versions. Also missing are Ronny Cox as the Beverly Hills police captain and Paul Reiser as one of Murphy's Detroit partners.

The real attraction to the original ``Beverly Hills Cop'' was its ingenious mix of action and comedy, the forte of its director Martin Brest, also responsible for ``Midnight Run.''

``Beverly Hills Cop II'' had its biggest fault in its director, Tony Scott. Scott had trouble with the comedy end. This time, well-known comedy director John Landis is aboard, and surprisingly leans more toward the action than the laughs. But don't worry, there are plenty of laughs.

The famous ``Axel F'' theme returns, this time arranged by Nile Rodgers; the rest of the score seems to be the same 12 bars of music repeated over and over. Hey, what happened to all the great songs?

As for action, there's lots of that, from car chases to gun fights, and a spectacularly thrilling rescue atop a malfunctioning park ride called The Spider.

``Beverly Hills Cop III'' is a playful, enjoyable film with all of the characteristics of the past two films. There is enough action for action fans, and enough Murphy for comedy fans, although he is struggling with this character. Despite, its predictability, it's an entertaining good time. No doubt you 'll leave the theater humming ``Axel F'' just like you did seven years ago. by CNB