★ 10 / 10
It was made in '81 and is actually
GenerationofSwine
It was made in '81 and is actually a pretty solid police film. It's not great, it's not Chinatown, but it also is pretty far from horrible. The dialogue is…
It was made in '81 and is actually a pretty solid police film. It's not great, it's not Chinatown, but it also is pretty far from horrible.
The dialogue is absolutely fantastic, and even in the throw away moments, there is a humor that seems very human. It's Hollywood sharp and witty to the point where it's almost too good to be realistic, it's just, human. There are a lot of little throw away conversations that seem like the kind of thing you'd hear in your everyday life.
And that adds a nice touch of realism to what is otherwise a cop film, and those are always pretty unrealistic.
The sound track is a little dated, a little 70s Adult film in places, but that was just a trope of the era and even great films like Three Days of the Condor had that 70s had that "I expect John Holmes to walk in any minute now" kind of music... but then it also had the cliche 80s sex scene instrumentals. So it feels like the merging of two eras and, audioly, it can't really decide if it wants to be 70s or 80s.
And then it has crooning that seems like it fits better in a Sean Connery era 007 film.
I guess what I'm saying is that, if there is a flaw, it's the sound track.
Essentially what it is though is a solid cop film that is bucking for 1970s gritty and realistic, but is still, ultimately, as over the top and unrealistic as most police thrillers. It's a very enjoyable film to watch.... despite the music.
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★ 8 / 10
Sharky: First Name, Sergeant.
hitchcockthelegend
Sharky's Machine is directed by Burt Reynolds and written by William Diehl and Gerald Di Pego. It stars Reynolds, Vittorio Gassman, Rachel Ward, Henry Silva…
Sharky's Machine is directed by Burt Reynolds and written by William Diehl and Gerald Di Pego. It stars Reynolds, Vittorio Gassman, Rachel Ward, Henry Silva, Carol Locatell, Brian Keith, Bernie Casey, Earl Holliman and Charles Durning. Music is by Snuff Garrett and cinematography by William A. Fraker. Plot finds Reynolds as Atlanta narcotics cop Tom Sharky, who finds himself busted down to vice squad after a drug bust goes badly wrong. If he thought it was going to be dull and routine he is very much mistaken, for soon enough Sharky finds himself in deep with a high class prostitution ring, political corruption and cold blooded murder.
The Sharky's Machine of the title is the group of cops that Tom Sharky gathers for the case he is working on. What starts out as standard surveillance at the home of beautiful hooker Domino (Ward), turns into a bloody trip into the workings of the seedy kingpins pulling the strings. But the kicker here is that as Sharky becomes an unwilling voyeur to Dominoe's life, he finds himself falling for her. He's fascinated by her, he feels from a distance her sadness of a life that she knows no better of. Tom Sharky is a tough dude, a manly man, a perfect role for Reynolds in fact, but he also needs to be loved, he likes roses and wood carving, he looks back to a childhood lost, it's this compelling characterisation that lifts Sharky's Machine above many other cop thrillers in a similar vein.
The film is, however, still violent and unflinching in its observations of this seedy part of Atlanta. Scum, violence and abuse is never far away, and Reynolds the director shows a deft hand at balancing the rough with the smooth motions of the narrative. He also shows admirable restraint for sex scenes, choosing mostly to suggest rather than titillate, while his acting performance is top notch as he neatly layers the strands of Sharky's emotional psyche. Around Reynolds is an array of engaging professional performances, notably Casey, Keith, a wonderfully maniacal Silva and Ward, the latter of which blends smouldering sexuality with an innocence that tugs the old heart strings.
Some of the outcome is telegraphed early, and the ending, having been a frantic and bloody last quarter, is crowned too abruptly (a shame since it contains an awesome stunt), but much like Reynolds' 1975 film Hustle, this too is badly undervalued in the neo-noir universe. 8/10
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83%
TOMATOMETER
· 23 reviews
64%
AUDIENCE
· 2.5K ratings
6.3/10
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