The audience consensus on the Beverly Hills Cop series is understood. The original 1984 film was a cultural phenomenon that vaulted Eddie Murphy into superstardom. Because it was a blockbuster in the 1980s, it naturally received a sequel three years later and an additional one seven years after that. A legacy sequel, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, just dropped on Netflix. Where the first installment, directed by Martin Brest, is iconic for its memorable lines and high-concept premise of a fish-out-of-water Detroit cop in Beverly Hills, the latter installments are more or less disposable ultimately failing to capture the magic of the original. Still, while Beverly Hills Cop feels like lightning in a bottle, its 1987 sequel, Beverly Hills Cop II, should not be dismissed. After all, it was directed by the preeminent Hollywood maximalist, Tony Scott, and the film's content is far more brutal and unflinching than one might remember.