Where to watch Rent-a-Cop
1 Star
Set in Chicago (but filmed on the cheap in Italy) Detective Tony Church is the lead on a hotel drug bust that goes fatally awry, causing the slaughter of a handful of his fellow officers and two million dollars in the hands of the Assassin (James Remar). The only living witness to the massacre is Delta Roberts, a call-girl who happened to be working the adjacent room to the murders. In the fall-out from the department investigation, Church is suspected of profiting from his partner’s death. Kicked of the force and teaming with Roberts, Church must navigate the clutches of a psychotic killer and keep alive the sole eye-witness to the case.
Rent-a-Cop is another in a string of mediocre Burt Reynolds pictures, this movie does nothing to elevate his screen legacy like some of the comparable Eastwood films. Instead it actually brings to the fore-front most of the negative stereo-types his detractors claim. There are some nice moments between the beleaguered Church and the talkative Roberts but their love-story is so implausible and the score by Jerry Goldsmith presents us with a love theme that recalls daytime soap opera jingles at their least affecting. I think it’s quite obvious at this point, I think Rent-a-Cop is one of the worst films of 1987.
Director: Jerry London
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Liza Mannelli, James Remar