Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) in Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

A maniacal Murphy beat competitor Sylvester Stallone to the role of the rule-busting Detroit cop set loose in Beverly Hills and propelled the '80s high-concept action-com cycle to paydirt. Where Sly would've played it straight, Murphy plays fast, funny and filthy, fairly carrying a plot-light flick on sheer firecracker force of personality and profanity alone.

Cop that! Pretends to be Ramon, a male prostitute there to warn Steven Berkoff's villainous Victor Maitland to check for STDs. Naughty!

Stake-out song of  choice: Jack your butt to Harold Faltermeyer's 'Axel F'