Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Beverly Hills Cop II Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 9, 2020

Paramount has released the 1987 sequel film 'Beverly Hills Cop II,' Directed by Tony Scott, to Blu-ray for the first time. The featureless disc includes 1080p video sourced from a 4K remaster and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The film is currently only available in a three film bundle with 'Beverly Hills Cop' and 'Beverly Hills Cop III.'

In Beverly Hills, a brazen jewelry heist is just one of several violent episodes in the so-called “Alphabet Crimes” that has the city on edge and the police stumped. Two of Beverly Hills’ top cops, Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton), are on the case, but when they exceed their authority by attempting to contact the FBI for help, they are busted down to traffic duty and allowed nowhere near the case. But when one of their colleagues, Captain Andrew Bogomil (Ronny Cox), is violently gunned down by the Alphabet perpetrators, old friend and Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returns to California’s high society to aid in the case, under the table with Rosewood and Taggart. They uncover a deep and deadly conspiracy that runs well beyond the violent robberies.

Viewing the film in hindsight, it plays like precursor to Bad Boys, that obviously not a Tony Scott film but both were produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. Here there's less cast chemistry and smaller scale action but the pace and style similarities are very evident. Within its own context, Beverly Hills Cop II plays with a more accessible structure and cadence compared to the previous film. This one is more kinetic, able to do away with some of the broader character strokes with the established core -- returning not only Foley but also the "Laurel and Hardy" duo of Rosewood and Taggart -- that makes for an agreeable screen threesome both in banter and in battle. The actors are energetic, the camaraderie only improves, and the actors are at home whether engaged in humor or engaged against heavily armed bad guys.

Scott builds a quintessential sequel here, upping the ante with larger scale action, more dangerous bad guys, and more stout filmmaking. The picture's energy carries it beyond even the wisecracking jokes and Murphy's timing and off-the-cuff humor, which he often utilizes in an effort to get what he needs, whether securing himself a mansion for his stay in Beverly Hills or pretending to carry a dangerous object in a brown paper bag, which is supposedly filled with plutonium explosive projectiles triggered by sound, or some such nonsense that he sells genuinely and comically at the same time, enough to convince a receptionist to let him through the door to find the man he's looking for. The film finds a nearly perfect blend of action and laughs, with Murphy proving more than capable of carrying on both ends under any demeanor or within any circumstance. Murphy himself has called the film "mediocre," but this reviewer finds in it a zesty crowd pleaser that's on par with the original.

Beverly Hills Cop II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Beverly Hills Cop II makes its Blu-ray debut sourced from a freshly minted 4K remaster. The picture quality is terrific: naturally filmic and organic and true to the film source. The movie looks practically brand new. Grain is distributed evenly with only a few occurrences of noisier spikes. It's flattering and fruitful in accentuating the many exceptional textures evident throughout the film, which are crisp, clean, and carefully constructed from start to finish. Detailing is very strong. Facial features are expertly defined with each wrinkle, pore, scar, mole, and other highlights revealing with firm, accurate clarity. Attire and environments are likewise exceptionally sharp and of showcase quality, whether fine suits or Foley's jeans and Detroit Lions varsity jacket. Colors are fruitful. Contrast is dialed in to a slightly warm temperature but the palette is consistent in filmmaker vision. Natural greens dazzle, reds pop, explosions rock a bright orange, and location details and clothing are consistently strong in color reproduction. Black levels satisfy and skin tones are locked in to a fairly accurate representation. Compression issues are next to nonexistent and source imperfections are practically zero. This is a first-class Blu-ray from Paramount.

Beverly Hills Cop II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Beverly Hills Cop II bursts onto Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack in addition to an array of additional language and subtitle options. The track proves perfectly engaging and fully intense in the opening robbery sequence. Music is aggressively positioned and offers quality detail and engagement through the entire range. Gunfire falls a bit on the crude side of the ledger but the blasts are plenty concussive and add an element of sonic fear to the proceedings, particularly when paired with shattering glass and the general din surrounding the chaos. Several action events to follow (as well as a sequence taking place inside an indoor shooting range partway through the film) present with similar sonic signatures, that pleasing blend of widely spaced music and potent, if not somewhat unrefined, gunfire blasting from all directions, both yielding some well balanced surround integration as well. Two highlight examples beyond the open include another robbery in chapter nine, when criminals break in through a ceiling to steal from a vault, and in chapter 10, taking place during an intense horse race. Environmental details are nicely integrated as well, including city exterior ambience. The track opens up with several scenes inside busy police departments, both in Detroit and in Beverly Hills, where crunching typewriters, ringing phones, and chatty background folk bring the environments to life. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized as it flows naturally from the expected front center position. The track lacks absolute finesse in the critical arena of gunfire but it is otherwise a perfectly excellent presentation that carries the film quite well. It's a highlight that, when paired with the excellent video presentation, makes for a wonderful home theater experience.

Beverly Hills Cop II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As it ships in the above-linked three-pack, Beverly Hills Cop II contains no supplemental content. No DVD or digital versions ship with that set, either. It does include a non-embossed slipcover.

Beverly Hills Cop II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Beverly Hills Cop II holds up as a quality sequel. A straightforward script is enhanced by Tony Scott's signature filmmaking style, blending hot action and cool humor into one solid movie that's one of several quintessential 80s Cop flicks. Paramount's Blu-ray is disappointingly featureless but the video and audio presentations are both A-grade. The absence of a UHD counterpart is disappointing, but this is best case scenario for Blu-ray A/V quality. Highly recommended.