THE HIT LIST

Maybe Gary Franklin should just hire a bodyguard. First, Sly Stallone strong-armed the KABC-TV film critic at a recent festivity and entreated him to review his movies, “not my personality.� When Franklin responded, “Please don’t grab my arm,� Stallone returned, “I’ll grab more than that.�

Now Eddie Murphy has taken up the gauntlet. On “The Tonight Show,� the star of “Beverly Hills Cop II� took exception to Franklin’s pan--Gary gave it a 3, “a generous 3.� Murphy said he’d like to “punch (Franklin) in the eye,� later adding “I’d like to kick him in the. . . .�

Franklin called it a “lousy� film: “It really infuriated me--it was hastily put together and completely imitates itself.� He also blasted the comic portrayal of a fast-talking, money-hungry Jewish lawyer, saying, “It struck a strong nerve with me. It’s an awful caricature right out of Hitler’s Der Sturmer (a Nazi propaganda sheet).�

As for Murphy’s remarks, Franklin said: “I’m surprised that he takes my reviews so seriously. I wonder why it bothers him so much, though it’s flattering in a way. It makes you feel important.�

As for hiring a bodyguard: “Nah, these kind of things just come with the territory. I don’t worry too much about it.�

Anyway, his Sly worries appear to be over. He revealed that he and Stallone recently puffed the peace pipe during a 90-minute non-lunch at Stallone’s offices on the Lorimar lot. “I called him to set it up so we could stop all this nonsense,� Franklin explained. “It was a very nice get-together, just the two of us. He talked about how he feels about movies and what he wants to do in the future.�

How cozy was this chat? “We talked and talked and finally I said, ‘Gee, aren’t we going to eat?’ And Stallone explained that he’s on a very strict diet and there wasn’t anyone around to cook anything. But he was very gracious. He offered to make me a tuna fish sandwich!�