Ranking the 10 greatest Eddie Murphy film performances, including Axel Foley

Outside of Tom Cruise, there may not be a greater movie star in the history of the medium than Eddie Murphy.

Forging his career as the all-time Saturday Night Live cast member and one of the greatest stand-up comedians ever, Murphy exploded on the film scene with 1982’s 48 Hrs. and never looked back.

Films like Trading Places and Beverly Hills Cop made him one of the most reliable box office performers, and 2006’s Dreamgirls fulfilled the vision of him being an all-encompassing actor who could reach for the highest highs of charisma and the fiercest depths of drama.

While not all of Murphy’s films have worked out and his recent run less successful than his heyday, 2019’s Dolemite Is My Name proved that nobody quite does it like he does when he’s locked in.

With the long-awaited fourth installment of Beverly Hills Cop now playing on Netflix, let’s go back into Murphy’s multi-decade career and rank his best performances (excluding his iconic stand-up films).