A street-smart Detroit police officer, Axel Foley, is a wisecracking detective with a knack for bending the rules to get results. When his best friend Mikey, who's been working in California, pays him a surprise visit, their reunion is cut short by a brutal murder that shocks Axel to his core. Vowing to catch the killer, Foley finds himself in an unfamiliar world when he follows the lead to the sun-drenched boulevards of Beverly Hills.

In Beverly Hills, Axel's brash style and disregard for procedure immediately clash with the local police department's by-the-book approach. He quickly butts heads with two detectives assigned to keep an eye on him. Despite their differences, the trio grudgingly begins to work together to unravel a complex web of crime that leads them through the opulent world of high-end art galleries, ritzy mansions, and a network of smooth criminals who operate above the law. As they dig deeper, they stumble upon a trail of shady dealings that suggests Mikey's murder was not a random act of violence.