Rent-A-Cop Reviews

RENT-A-COP stars Burt Reynolds as Tony Church, a Chicago police officer and sole survivor of a botched drug bust, who is dumped from the force and hires himself out as a security guard. Hooker Della Roberts (Liza Minelli) unwittingly witnesses the raid and can identify the cop-killer. Church saves Della from one murder attempt; when the killer (James Remar) makes a second attempt, he agrees to be her bodyguard. He now begins an extensive investigation into the connections among ex-cop Roger (Richard Masur), the killer, and a Chicago drug lord. RENT-A-COP contains all the basic cop-movie ingredients but rarely rises above mediocrity. Director Jerry London moves things along at a brisk pace, but speed cannot make up for the lack of meaty content. Nor can Reynolds' charm. The ever-reliable Masur rises above the material, but Minnelli is simply miscast as Della the hooker. Bernie Casey, as Reynolds' former partner, does a nice turn, while Robby Benson, as another cop who lends a hand at the showdown, looks as if he'd rather be somewhere else.