Movies / Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

Third time is not quite the charm for Eddie Murphy's Axel Foley when he heads for L.A. once again to avenge a friend's murder. This time he's off to the Disneyesque WonderWorld, apparently the most hazardous theme park in America despite an army of shady security agents. John Landis directed Murphy in his first film hit, Trading Places, and would seem a good match for this mix of action and comedy, but his sense of fun only emerges in a few scenes (chubby mechanics do a gymnastic Blues Brothers number to a Diana Ross tune) and his action direction is sloppy and shockingly violent. It seems wrong for the comic tone, and Murphy should have his foul mouth washed out with soap. On the plus side, Bronson Pinchot returns as Serge and all but upstages Murphy in two brief but hilarious scenes. --Sean Axmaker