Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Rent-a-Cop Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 18, 2024

Jerry London's "Rent-a-Cop" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include an exclusive new audio commentary by actor Richard Masur and critic Lee Gambin as well as vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtiles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

During a drug bust in an upscale hotel in downtown Chicago, a masked killer takes out a drug dealer and several undercover cops and disappears with two million dollars and a bag of coke. Veteran cop Tony Church (Burt Reynolds) and call girl Della Roberts (Liza Minnelli) are the only survivors of the massacre. A day later, when his superior suggests that he might be a dirty cop because he is the only one to walk away from the massacre, Church throws away his badge and quits his job. To make ends meet, Church then gets a job at Carson’s, where he wears a Santa Claus suit and does his best to entertain the holiday crowds, but quickly loses it after he attempts to nab a thief and causes a brawl.

While trying to suppress the anger boiling inside him with double shots of whiskey, Church is approached by an old friend and former colleague (Richard Masur), who makes him feel even more miserable when he reveals that he earns more money now than he can spend and suggests that the men that perished during the drug bust should not have cost him his career. Out of the blue, Church, still very angry, is also approached by Roberts, who offers to pay him several thousand dollars to protect her because a stalker, likely the masked killer from the drug bust, has tried to murder her. After several unsuccessful attempts to make Roberts understand that he is not interested in her offer, Church unexpectedly changes his mind and begins gathering information that can help him track down the masked killer.

Considering the many contributions Jerry London made to various very successful TV shows during the 1970s -- like Kojak (1973), The Rockford Files (1974), Police Story (1974), and Harry O (1975) -- it seems like Rent-a-Cop, which emerged during the 1980s, was destined to be a solid genre film. Unfortunately, it is one of those instantly forgettable misfires that even diehard fans of its famous leads cannot defend. It just does not work. And, no, it does not work as an it-is-so-bad-it-is-good misfire either.

So, what is the problem with Rent-a-Cop?

It’s got problems, not a problem, and they are all impossible to ignore. Arguably the biggest one is the very, very poor chemistry between Reynolds and Minnelli, which is supposed to be the glue that holds the entire narrative together. For example, the friendly antagonism between the two does not produce any excitement, so instead of helping the dramedy flourish and become attractive, it constantly sabotages it. Additionally, London fails to give Rent-a-Cop an identity that makes it look like a coherent project. It is not an adult comedy. It is not a crime film. It is not a romantic film. It is just an underdeveloped film that does a little bit of everything to entertain, and all of it looks and feels off. Unsurprisingly, watching Reynolds and Minnelli do something meaningful with their characters becomes quite the endurance test. (For what it’s worth, Reynolds is vastly superior in this endurance test. Minnelli is not even remotely authentic as a call girl in trouble. She looks like a spoiled, very needy Hollywood diva attempting to impress an aging bachelor with the strangest tricks a woman can think of). Rent-a-Cop remains oblivious to the seemingly endless opportunities Chicago can offer to a genre film about good and bad guys as well. Excluding the prologues with the impressive aerial footage from Lake Shore Drive, which is very similar to the one Ridley Scott shot in New York City for Someone to Watch Over Me, London just as easily could have done the rest of it in Boise, Idaho.

On paper, the supporting cast looks very good, though unsurprisingly it is instantly forgettable as well. James Remar plays the masked killer. Bernie Casey is Reynolds’ former partner, while Robbie Benson is the clueless rookie who has replaced the latter. John Stanton leads a big criminal organization. Dionne Warwick employs Minnelli and dispatches other girls like her to wealthy clients across Chicago.

Rent-a-Cop Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Rent-a-Cop arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an exclusive, gorgeous new 4K master that was apparently struck from the original camera negative. I liked everything that I saw on my system. For example, the entire film has a very healthy, very attractive organic appearance, and color balance is as good as I think it can be in 1080p. (I am quite certain that several supporting nuances can be expanded a bit, but this is an improvement that will only be possible in a wider color gamut). The density levels of the visuals are excellent as well. In a couple of darker sequences grain can be a bit tighter, but I did not see any anomalies to report. Image stability is great. All in all, I think that fans of Rent-a-Cop will be thrilled with the new 4K makeover that was prepared for this release and have a great time revisiting the film at home. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Rent-a-Cop Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

While not a conventional action film, Rent-a-Cop has a lot of material that can test one's system. I was quite surprised by the dynamic potency of several action scenes. Also, Jerry Goldsmith's soundtrack sounded very, very lush as well. The dialog is always very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Rent-a-Cop Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer forRent-a-Cop. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by actor Richard Masur and critic Lee Gambin.

Rent-a-Cop Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is Rent-a-Cop as disappointing as old reviews have claimed? Yes, unfortunately, it is. It has numerous flaws, but the most consequential one is the awful chemistry between its two big stars, Burt Reynolds and Liza Minnelli. Rent-a-Cop tweaks the old buddy cop formula, so while Minnelli is not a cop, everything meaningful during the hunt for the killer depends on her chemistry with Reynolds. And, no, Rent-a-Cop does not work as an it-is-so-bad-it-is-good misfire either. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an exclusive, gorgeous new 4K master that was struck from the original camera negative.