While its sequels were formulaic and safe, the first Beverly Hills Cop set out to explore some uncharted territory, and succeeded. A blend of violent action picture and sharp comedy, the film has an excellent director, Martin Brest, who finds some original perspectives on stock scenes (highway chases, police rousts) and hits a gleeful note with Murphy while skewering L.A. culture. Good support from Judge Reinhold and John Ashton as local cops not used to doing things the Detroit way (Murphy’s character hails from the Motor City). Paul Reiser has a funny, brief moment at the beginning, and Bronson Pinchot makes a hilarious impression in a great, never-to-be-duplicated scene with the star. —Tom Keogh
Martin Brest (born August 8, 1951) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer.
Education
Brest was born in the Bronx, New York and graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1969, from New York University’s School of the Arts in 1973 and from the AFI Conservatory with an M.F.A. degree in 1977.
Career
His major studio debut was 1979’s Going in Style, which starred George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg, the first of several films to mix action and comedy to great effect. Brest was then hired to direct the film WarGames, but was fired during production.
Brest got his big break in 1984 with Beverly Hills Cop, starring Eddie Murphy. The film grossed over $300 million and received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Brest followed up with 1988’s Midnight Run, starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin, a critical and commercial… read more
Holy shit! When Eddie Murphy wasn't a complete fucking soulless cunt who appeared in countless pieces of shit.