Rent-a-Cop is a 1987 action-comedy starring Burt Reynolds and Liza Minnelli. Reynolds plays a Chicago police detective turned security guard. He crosses paths with Minnelli’s character, who is being pursued by both the police and criminals due to her involvement with a jewel heist. Together, the duo try to stay one step ahead of both the law and the bad guys.

This medium-long shot of Reynolds’ character lighting a cigarette is filmed outside the Hyatt Regency Chicago. (Thanks for helping identify the hotel, Tours with Mike!)

Rent-a-Cop filmed 3 weeks in Chicago and the rest of the time in Cinecittà Studios in Rome.

By the mid-1980s, Burt Reynolds’ once-thriving career was practically at a standstill. One of Hollywood’s biggest stars, he was now receiving offers for mediocre movies like this one and Stroker Ace, both of which fared poorly at the box office.

In fact, later in life, Reynolds recalls these two movies as “the kind they show in prisons and airplanes, because nobody can leave” (Variety 2011). Yikes.

As of this writing, if you dare, you can watch Rent-a-Cop free on Tubi.