Sharky's Machine

Amazon.com

Burt Reynolds was getting restless with the good ol' boy screen image he cultivated in Smokey & the Bandit and numerous car-chase flicks of the mid-to-late 1970s, and this brutal 1981 thriller presented the actor with an interesting change of pace. Reynolds directed the film as well, and there was a lot at stake for him both personally and professionally, so Sharky's Machine--based on a gutsy novel by William Diehl--has an urgent, no-nonsense quality that lifts it above most comparably sleazy thrillers. The plot may be sordid, but Reynolds's handling of it is not. This adds another element of freshness to the story of a demoted Atlanta vice cop (Reynolds) who pursues a personal vendetta against a crime boss (Vittorio Gassman) after falling in love with a stunning beauty (Rachel Ward) from the mobster's stable of high-priced prostitutes. The climactic shootout is violent and bloody in keeping with movies of the period (when jarring brutality was beginning to be commonplace in Hollywood films), but Reynolds doesn't go overboard. Sharky's Machine doesn't pretend to be anything more (or less) than a tough-as-nails crime movie, and it's one of Reynolds's most unusual and intelligent films. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Nobody leans on Sharky's Machine.......2007-05-12

I've seen my fair share of Burt Reynolds movies to date and several of them stay with me but none like `Sharky's Machine'. I can't help but think this is one of the best down and dirty, slick, and hard hitting crime thrillers I have ever watched. There are plenty of reviews outlining the plot so I'm going to shy away from that and just review elements of the movie itself.

As far as a plot goes, it starts out strong and exciting and carries through until the decisive end. There are quite a few dark events and violent scenes and there is no shying away from an in-your-face searing experience that makes you appreciate good directing and a solid story. Mixing different elements in but not really detracting from the movie is some romance and intrigue coupled with some tragedy and even a little clever humor in certain spots. When it comes to acting, the talent was stacked here and these actors did a fine job all the way through. There is just no going wrong with names like Brian Keith, Bernie Casey, Henry Silva, Charles Durning, Vitoria Gassman, Richard Libertini, and Rachel Ward. The action scenes were choreographed well and the stunt work was great. In fact, stuntman Dar Robinson made, at the time of this movie being filmed, a record breaking highest backward, blind freefall from a structure. This is when Henry Silva's character, the assassin, is shot by Burt Reynolds in the Peachtree Tower high rise and he falls out the window and onto the roof of the lower adjacent building (at the end of the movie).

The last thing that I really enjoyed about this movie was the soundtrack. When this film was released, it had a mostly Jazz tinged soundtrack and this wasn't something readily seen at that time. A nice bit of forward thinking on Burt's part to make this happen. There were many prominent Jazz musicians featured and they put together some great music. Unfortunately, to this day, I've never seen and cannot find a CD soundtrack to this film so that is a kind of a letdown.

It would be nice to see a re-release of this film in a widescreen format, some good special features, and a nice 5.1 surround or DTS soundtrack. For now, since this is all we have, it will do fine and I highly recommended this movie to fans of this genre and to fans of Burt Reynolds.

A True "Guy" flick.......2007-01-31

An entertaining and believable story about a tough-as-nails cop and his buddies. Its the perfect diverion to fill that spot between the winning field goal and dinner or between a night out with the guys and sack time.
The Atlanta setting give it a unique feel and several excellent pieces of eye-candy keep things interesting when things slow down a bit!

The best he ever made!.......2007-01-30

Burt Reynolds play's a great cop in this movie. All the other players/actors are also very enjoyable!
And let's not forget the lovely Rachel Ward!
It's a shame that this movie did't get a lot of attention maybe it's an idea for a part 2? And then in dolby digital or dts?!
For me the best Burt ever made, great that I could get it through Amazon...

One of Reynolds' Best Films.......2006-11-17

Sharky's Machine is the kind of film that Burt Reynolds desperately wanted to transition to while he was at the top of the box office in the late 70's/early 80's, and it's easy to see why he wanted to make more movies like this, and less like the good-old boy Smokey and The Bandit and Cannonball Run films. This is a movie with grit, heart, very good performances, and definitely a change of pace for a guy who was known for his jokes and quips as much as he was for action.

And there isn't much funny about Sharky's Machine, based off of the best-selling novel by William Diehl. Reynolds plays Sharky, an Atlanta cop who loses his rank after a very public bust goes very bad. He ends up in the Vice Squad, but runs across a prostitution ring that has government connections, drugs, and a deadly hitman, played by Henry Silva. The Machine is the group of cops and experts that help Sharky break the case, and they are played by Brian Keith, Bernie Casey, John Fiedler, and Richard Libertini. Rachel Ward plays the love interest and Vittorio Gassman plays the pimp behind it all.

Full of action, tension, tragedy, and some humor, Sharky's Machine could have been a great transition to a great new level of Reynolds' career. But he kept making mostly good-old-boy films until he wore out his welcome. At least Sharky's Machine shows what might have been.

burt's machine is to scatterbrained for it's own good.......2006-05-09

trying to escape the good ole boy image he built for himself in the 70's burt chose to star in and direct is movie based on the bestseller by william dheal,and could have made a most enjoyable movie if he had made up his mind what he wanted to do.
the movie starts well as a gruff looking burt walks to an alley and buys drugs from a dealer,only to have another cop on stakeout with him blow the deal,leading to a very well staged gunfight in rush hour atlanta traffic.a citizen is killed and sharky is sent to the basement and vice. along with sharky the movie heads for the basement and never comes out. the action is just not that great and the best member of the cast is henry silva as a druged out hitman who is so strung out he can't be hurt.
the problem with the movie is it doesn't know what it wants to be. afraid that he might not please everyone,burt throws the kitchen sink in,he tries to make it all things,a comedy,an action movie,drama,and even a political thriller,never finding the right mix. i give it two stars because he did try something new,he just didn't do it well.

Triple Feature: Stroker Ace/Hooper/Sharky's Machine

Average customer rating:

burt always awesome!!!
3 of Burt's best
Burt Reynolds triple feature

Triple Feature: Stroker Ace/Hooper/Sharky's Machine
Starring: Warner Triple Feature
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000HT38CQ
Release Date: 2006-11-07

Description

Great times with the good ol' boy! Burt Reynolds takes the wheel in Stroker Ace (Disc 1/Side A), a roaring stock-car-racing comedy co-starring Loni Anderson and featuring real-life Daytona International footage. Sally Field teams with Reynolds in Hooper (Disc 1/Side B), the affectionate and much-admired salute to movie stunt people. When the boss says jump...Hooper says how far down?! And Atlanta nights have never been hotter than when vice cop Reynolds (who also directs) puts the heat on big-time criminals in the volatile thriller Sharky's Machine (Disc 2). It's a lean, mean, powerful machine, fueled by an enduringly popular star in peak form.

Customer Reviews:

burt always awesome!!!.......2007-07-18

Here is an icon in his prime. Stroker Ace may be very silly, but Hooper and Sharkey's Machine are genuine works of art for the era. They set up the framework for action comedy/melodrama for now. I love these movies. I wish Burt could still do what he did. He will always be awesome in my book. One note, I wish these movies were in widescreen.

3 of Burt's best.......2007-05-12

Great movies for fans of Burt when he was king of Hollywoood

Burt Reynolds triple feature.......2007-01-10

Not the best of all movies, but OK. My husband loved it.

Shark / Last Hour / Beyond Obsession / Lethal Victims / Subterfuge / the Cape Town Affair [6 Movie Set]

Average customer rating:

Shark / Last Hour / Beyond Obsession / Lethal Victims / Subterfuge / the Cape Town Affair [6 Movie Set]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

6 MOVIE SET; SHARK starring: Burt Reynolds / LAST HOUR starring: Shannon Tweed / SUBTERFUGE starring: Joan Collins / THE CAPE TOWN AFFAIR starring: Jacqueline Bisset / BEYOND OBSESSION starring: Tom Berenger / LETHAL VICTIMS starring: Martin Landau ***SPECIAL FEATURES*** DIGITALLY REMASTERED WITH CHAPTER STOPS & INTERACTIVE MENUS.

Average customer rating:

The Burt Reynols' best serious effort!...

Sharky's Machine
Starring: Burt Reynolds
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000GAKBJE
Release Date: 2005-06-14

Customer Reviews:

The Burt Reynols' best serious effort!..........2006-07-14

This is for me, the best ever Burt Reynolds movie, because blockbusters like hooper, smokey & the bandit or are films for little kids and I don't like them anymore. But in the beginning of eighties appeared this extraordinary film directed by Burt Reynolds in a very dynamic way.

the story talks about a great detective from Atlanta that was chasing a big drug dealer. An italian called Victor and his assasing fellow brother. With them at the silver screen, appears the beautifull Rachel Ward (Dominoe). giving the film a realistic performances and making the movie one of the best detectivesque films ever. It reminds me another outstanding film: The Harrison Ford's Movie Blade Runner (1981), directed by Ridley Scott. The polished performance of Burt Reynolds is hilarious, dramatic and some times passionated; giving the image of an isolated man that is alone, an needs some loving reason to go on with his life. This man with "smiling eyes" will find his opportunity to be happy with Dominoe, but there will be some troubles that they'll have to resolve before... Good Luck!

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