Diksha Sundriyal
In ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,’ Eddie Murphy reprises his role as Detroit cop Axel Foley, who is brought back to Beverly Hills when he discovers that his daughter’s life is threatened by some very dangerous people. His return also marks his reunion with his friends in the Beverly Hills Police Department, with whom he forged unbreakable bonds in past movies. Apart from his daughter Jane’s safety, the uncertainty of his old friend’s fate draws Foley back to California. Billy Rosewood had been working on the same case as Jane, and when he vanishes into thin air, the true stakes of the case are revealed. SPOILERS AHEAD
Billy Rosewood is Key to Solving the Case
The events in the movie begin with Jane taking on the case of a man named Enriquez. According to the cops, he is responsible for the death of an undercover cop named Copeland. However, Enriquez claims that he is being framed for the murder. Due to the overwhelming evidence against him, no one believes his story except Jane and Billy Rosewood. Having left the police department after he tried to out Captain Grant, a corrupt policeman, Rosewood is on his own, trying to find the thing that would prove Enriquez’s innocence and Grant’s guilt.
In the investigation, an SD card is retrieved from the camera in Copeland’s car, corroborating Enriquez’s story. However, that card, along with Rosewood, has gone missing. Grant and his men search for it, and Axel and Jane know that the SD card is the key to solving all their problems. Soon, however, it becomes clear that Rosewood is the only one who knows where the card is. The one who finds him will have the answer to their question, which is why he must be kept alive even if he is in the captivity of the villains. If they kill him, they will never find the SD card, which would put them in a very tricky predicament.
Axel and Bobby Abbott Find Rosewood in a Shady Place
In an early scene in the movie, we see Rosewood hanging out at the harbor and watching a company named Sunset Point’s activities. He is caught during the stakeout and is not seen again until Axel’s investigation brings him back to the harbor. From Enriquez’s uncle, with links to the cartel, they find out about Sunset Point and the true purpose of the place. They seek evidence that would irrevocably link Grant to the cartel but find Rosewood there instead.
As expected, Rosewood is kept alive and tortured by the bad guys because he has yet to give up the location of the SD card. He seems to have hidden it so well that Grant’s men cannot find it despite all their efforts. With Bobby’s help, Axel rescues Rosewood, and as they flee the place, things start to fall into place more easily. Rosewood tells them how he ended up following the cartel, but more importantly, he tells them where he hid the SD card.
The best hiding place is in plain sight, and Billy Rosewood knew this pretty well. So, instead of using secret compartments in desks or cupboards, he hid the evidence somewhere no one would look because they’d never expect it to be there. In a previous scene, when Axel goes to Rosewood’s place, he finds Grant’s men trashing the place, looking for the SD card. One of the men notices the knife from ‘First Blood’ on Rosewood’s shelf. He recognizes it but doesn’t give it more thought.
Later, Rosewood reveals that the knife is where he hid the SD card. It is inside the knife’s hilt, in plain sight yet so obscure that no one would think twice about it. His trick clearly works because the knife doesn’t attract any attention, and when Rosewood returns to his house, he finds it in the same place. As for Rosewood, he and Taggart make up, especially after Taggart apologizes for not believing Rosewood when he warned him about Grant. With the villains gone, Rosewood returns to being a PI and focuses on other crimes in Beverly Hills, most likely in collaboration with Axel’s daughter, Jane.
Read More: Beverly Hills Cop Axel F: Who is Jane’s Mother? What Happened to Axel Foley’s Wife?
