TODAY'S NUGGET: Beverly Hills Cop (1984) - Excellent Clarity + Character in an Action Sequence

[Quick Summary: When his childhood friend is gunned down in Detroit, cop Axel Foley travels to Beverly Hills to locate the goons who killed his friend.]

This script reads lickety split.  It is such a pleasure.

It especially shines in its clarity of story spine while allowing great character work.

For example, in the semi-truck chase below:
- Axel is a fast thinking, fast talking cop, in the first few lines. [character]
- When things go south with the two cons, Axel does not give up and hangs on to them, which he literally does in this scene. [character]
- There is even great character work without dialogue. ex. Axel chooses not to listen the cop (get offa there!) in order to nail these cons.  [character]
- Notice how clear the story spine is despite the multiple characters, action, guns, etc.  We're focused on Axel -- hang on Axel!

ex. "IN THE CAB

Mirsky has the engine running. He stares out the side view mirror at the cops walking toward the truck. He licks his lips and puts the truck into gear, ready to take off.

AXEL

tries to play it cool.

AXEL: Are we glad to see you! You want to call us a tow? We threw a bearing.

The second cop has been staring at Axel.

SECOND COP: Don't I know you from someplace?

FIRST COP: Both you guys, break out some I.D.

CARLOTTA

panics and runs toward a pickup truck parked across the street. The cops draw their guns.

FIRST COP: Freeze!

But Carlotta keeps running. The first cop chases after him.

ANGLE ON THE TRUCK'S CAB

Mirsky lets out the clutch and the rig jerks forward.

AXEL

is still standing on the bed of the rear trailer of the moving truck. The second cop yells at him --

SECOND COP: Get down offa there!

--but Axel stays right where he is, hanging on as the truck gains speed. The second cop fires a warning shot; Axel braces himself at the side of the trailer to offer a narrow target but now the truck is going about 40 as it takes the next corner and

THE REAR TRAILER

bounces up over the curb as the truck cuts the corner too close. It looks like the truck is going to jackknife, but instead it comes out of the turn gathering more speed.

AXEL

is nearly thrown off the rear of the truck, but he hangs on."

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Don't forget clarity when trying to jazz up the character.

I've seen scripts that get so lost in trying to be funny that it lacks clarity.

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)(shooting script, 5/14/84)
by Daniel Petrie, Jr. (with Martin Brest pages)