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Redundant and unnecessary.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Chicago cop Burt Reynolds is suspended after a sting operation goes terribly wrong; he turns in his badge but finds work playing bodyguard to hooker Liza Minnelli, who was a witness to the massacre that got Reynolds in hot water. Burt seems to be suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (he's barely present); however, vivacious Liza (too old, really, to be playing a busy prostitute) does manage to elevate this crime-drama with her personality alone, and the solid technical aspects of the production, not to mention a fine supporting cast and gritty locales, are also exceptional. While combining corny comedic asides, a very strange villain, and jarring bursts of violence, "Rent-a-Cop" is pretty much a mess--and professional critics snubbed it--yet it is entertaining enough and the two stars share some great chemistry (even with Burt so sleepy). **1/2 from ****

I was sick one day and was skimming channels and I came upon this terribly rank movie. The plot and even the subplots (if you can find one) have been done to extinction. BUT, as bad as the story was, I reserve a special comment for Liza Minelli. Her character was absolutely one of the most annoying characters I have ever has the misfortune of seeing on film. Her only two competitors in this category are John Leguziamo in "The Pest" and Julia Stiles in anything she's done (or half-done). Maybe she performed exactly as the script suggested or maybe (groan!) that is the limit she has to her acting range. Either way, they should have had a rewrite and killed her off in the first 30 seconds of the film (eg. Like the girl that fell off the balcony in Lethal Weapon (I) (but at least she had nice breasts))Most Humbly Submitted...Douglas Neidermeyer

This disgusting combination of violence and cheap jokes has to be avoided, unless you are a devoted Liza Minnelli fan... like me. Liza has this very personal acting style (a nervous kind of energy) you either love or hate. I think it´s great, and it almost turns trash like Rent-a-cop into something watchable. For the real Liza experience, watch ´Sterile Cuckoo´ or ´Cabaret´.

Didja know that, contrary to popular belief (and the Razzies), Liza-with-a-Z actually received rave reviews from Variety and the NEW YORK TIMES (!) for her performance in this otherwise utterly ordinary cop thriller. She's actually very funny in it, and Reynolds has his moments as well. There is an absolutely hysterical scene near the beginning with Burt as a security guard disguised as Santa in a department store, bantering with his new boss, an overly officious matron yammering about his failure to scrutinize his "policy manual."