The first thing that jumped out to me is that this is the first film in the franchise to really show us Detroit. And it’s done in such a loving, reverential way that feels refreshing. Detroit is the focus of every comment made about dilapidated, decaying cities. Horror smash hit Barbarian did it too. It’s a shorthand city for modern day ruin. The loving look and all smiles Murphy was much appreciated. 

The second thing is that this had no business being this enjoyable. Wow. This one vibes the strongest with the original film. It’s not as dark as 2 so yeah, closest in tone and effectiveness to the first film. 

Murphy gets to play the more mature Axel he wanted to do in 3 but this time he’s old so the script aligns with that approach. Because the script accounts for this we get all kinds of great stuff. Even if it’s all really derivative of most mainstream media released nowadays. There’s commentary on how his 80s bullshit don’t fly anymore. There’s commentary about parenting (even though Jane would have been 2 during the events of BHC3 but dude ain’t gave no kids in that movie) and a sprinkle of generational trauma. The plot beats are familiar and you can play “guess what happens next” and be right about 98% of the time. But it’s the execution.

This film is so light on its feet. Great balance of the action and the comedy and guess what…both of those elements actually work! Together! That was a big part of why the original worked so perfectly. The action is edited well. Not too fast to be obvious cheats but not nonexistent so there’s no suspense. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a great addition to the cast. He’s charming, got jokes, and hangs with the cast like he’s always been there. That hardcore 70s Serpico cop hair and mustache/beard combo has got to go though. 

The worst part about this movie was the callbacks. Not their mere existence but god could someone a bit more elegant have written them? They did it in Part 2 and it felt novel but in this film…if I have to hear “hear we go again” “just like always” “never change” etc etc one more time. Argh! They’re lazy! So so so lazy. A lot of these moments (the callback to the first movie with Billy and Taggart ducking behind some small structures to avoid gunfire and bantering back and forth was the worst fucking one) could have simply existed without a spoken line making the callback or trying to be quippy. Just shut up and let the fans enjoy the moment. Very bad writing in those moments. And it’s bad enough to completely derail the film for some people. 

Thankfully I am not one of those people and I cannot believe this is as good as it is. Most of it worked and it was so much fun. I just rewatched the original trilogy back to back and went straight into this one and…it’s the best sequel in the series??? Wild I know. Fix all that shit I complained about and it would be more loved by me. Billy was Billy again, not whatever they did to his character in 3. Serge came back down to earth after being an arms dealer and his skit didn’t drag out. The film was punchy and knew when to dip out of jokes or scenarios before they got tired. Oh man, Luis Guzman showing up and killing it!

If you didn’t enjoy the original two films I don’t think this legacy sequel will swing your opinion around. If you hate the idea of this movie because of how betrayed you felt with 3 (or maybe even 2) the I’d give this a spin. Solid stuff.