Burt Reynolds’ name remains iconic in Hollywood. From earlier hits like “Deliverance” and “Smokey and the Bandit,” to his resurgence in “Boogie Nights,” there’s no shortage of classics to associate with Reynolds, even though he missed out on the Oscar-winning “Terms of Endearment.” However, Reynolds also had his share of duds. “Rent-a-Cop,” which holds an abysmal 0% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, really is that bad.
Directed by Jerry London, “Rent-a-Cop” sees Reynolds play Tony Church, a detective who experiences a fall from grace after a drug bust goes wrong. The mysterious criminal Dancer (James Remar) gets the drop on Church’s squad members during the bust, killing them. Dancer also takes Della Roberts (Liza Minnelli) hostage, but she escapes before things get worse. Church, fired from the police force, becomes a department store security guard, while Dancer soon tries to kill Della because she caught a glimpse of his face. Della seeks out Church’s help, offering to pay him to keep her safe until Dancer is behind bars. That makes Church into the titular “Rent-a-Cop.”
As the Rotten Tomatoes score indicates, reviewers weren’t fans. In Roger Ebert’s review of the film, the critic called it “directly off the assembly line,” but he also credited Reynolds and Minnelli for offering some charm to enjoy. Viewers weren’t enamored either, sticking the movie at a lowly 18% on Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter. To make matters worse, Reynolds and Minnelli were both nominated for Razzies, with Minnelli winning in the category of Worst Actress.
Read more: We Didn’t Learn These Tragic Secrets About Actors Until After They Died
Rent-a-Cop isn’t Burt Reynolds’ only 0% movie on Rotten Tomatoes
Mentor speaking on the phone in Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms – The Movie Channel
A decade after “Rent-a-Cop,” Burt Reynolds appeared in another 0% percent movie on Rotten Tomatoes: “Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms.” This made-for-television film is a sequel to one of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s best movies, but the Muscles from Brussels is nowhere to be found here. Van Damme’s Luc Deveraux is now played by former football player Matt Battaglia, while Reynolds plays Mentor, a CIA deputy director. It is a tiny part, since this story is mainly about Deveraux’s discovery that his brother, Eric (Jeff Wincott), is also one of the titular super-soldiers. Not a single cast member from the original film returned, as this one was made to woo TV audiences into maintaining a cheaper franchise.
Reynolds reappeared as Mentor for the follow-up, “Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business.” That entry holds a stronger 20% on Rotten Tomatoes, so at least there was some improvement. Having said that, the entire franchise was retconned a year later when an official theatrical sequel, “Universal Soldier: The Return,” was released. Van Damme came back to personally do some damage as Luc (a role nowhere near as good as his last decent film, “JCVD,”) alongside Michael Jai White and pro wrestling superstar Bill Goldberg as new super-soldiers. Burt Reynolds, needless to say, did not come back.
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Read the original article on Looper.
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