Sharky's Machine (1981)

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

I like Burt Reynolds. I like Deliverance, Switching Channels,Stick, etc. . I find he can do comedy or drama. He is very good at playing a friend out for revenge or a cop. I like all the actors in here. They do a very good job in their roles. Maybe a little less yelling. The action is well paced. It does drag in spots. The scenes where you hear but don't see Domino drag. I wish they re-thought those scenes. I keep watching to cheer when the bad guys go down. I wish Reynolds did more cop films. He was very good as Dan August. I also like that he was a stunt man before becoming big. Its nice to see the star do most of his stunts in a movie.

Sharky's Machine is one of Burt's most exciting films, and one of his best, not only that, when you consider he directed this. This glamorized piece has an exciting story, and some fantastic performances, notably from Vittorio Gassman, as a high class pimp, his psychopathic hit man brother (evil faced Henry Silva) unforgettable as is his demise in an explosive, and unforgettable finale. Burt plays Ray Sharky, who's sting operation is botched by another colleague, who provides a surprise twist of character, later on. He's demoted to vice, making friends fast with the other boys. What I really liked here was the mateship among this squad, this film one of the best examples, some deeply written characters, you really get to know, where you want to be part of it. Burt assigns them in the wake of a mob hit, involving government ties, and a high class prostitute/wannabe dancer (Ward) involved with a senator, who must be silenced. Burt bugs her place, and of course, is smitten by her. When mistaken for another pro, who buys the farm, bloodily, Burt takes Ward under his guard, and a romance blossoms, Burt first losing it with her at earlier, which was amusing. Ward's pro character, is surprisingly someone we really get to know, and is painted as a much more down to earth character, something rarely seen in pro characters, to this extent. There is some nasty 80's gore in this R rated pic, one torture scene with Burt, minus some fingers, is more implicit. SM I like for many reasons, most of all, it's the excitement factor, with a exciting story at play, where so much is going on, you kind of do feel it does lose itself. It doesn't bog itself down, with a less than more thing going on, which to it's advantage, makes this exciting film more intriguing. Durning is great as the cranky chief of the vice squad, the bleachers scene on the baseball grounds, a cool one, as is the one with Burt hatefully confronting Gassman and his stable of girls at that restaurant, where Burt's admittance of something, causing his nemesis to see red. Though the most memorable moment, is that second to last scene with Reynolds unleashing vengeance on Silva, a wonderfully shot moment, etched in your memory of this classic, where Burt really scores.

Frm the opening strains of Randy Crawford's spunky "Street Life" to the final shot, "Sharky's Machine" is a lean, mean 80's-cop action extravaganza.Okay, it's not "Citizen Kane." I don't think it was intended to be. But we have some very nice things going on here. First, Burt Reynolds (who I otherwise despise) is actually very good in his role as a weary, frustrated cop. And maybe this wasn't all acting- this film was made at about the same time Burt Reynolds' star power was beginning to fade, and he looks suitably humbled and remorseful. Whether he's acting or not his demeanor is perfect for the character- the cackling, smarmy Burt that we're used to would have ruined the role.Next, we have our All-Star Team of Character Actors: Charles Durning, Bernie Casey, Brian Keith, Richard Libertini and horror-face himself Henry Silva. With a supporting cast like this you can't possibly go wrong. These guys make every forgettable scene substantial and give the movie an organic, timeless look. The highlights are Bernie Casey waxing zen about his near-death experience and Charles Durning's comedic frustration with his offbeat police staff. The movie is subtle but very funny.Finally, there is Rachel Ward. Gorgeous, sexy, and engaging… she is as good here as she was in "Against All Odds." (And is it me or does it seem like every male character goes crazy for her?) You can see why... she just has the right amount of mystery and sexuality that keeps you hanging on her every word. She brings the movie up a whole letter grade.So is "Sharky's Machine" a classic? An all-timer? No, not really. But if you like good, fun, violent, fast-moving urban action cop flicks this is a must-see. Enjoy!GRADE: B+

I think the most important thing to keep in mind while watching SHARKY'S MACHINE is that Burt Reynolds directed it... that sunk in yet? OK good. I'm not knocking Reynolds' ability behind the camera, I actually think he does a commendable job (p.s. I'm a big Reynolds fan), I just always think it's important to note when an actor directs and stars in their own movie. Sure, it's dated and fairly rough around the edges, but there's a great movie in here that continually peeks through the cracks. Unfortunately it just never seems to peek through long enough to win over most viewers. However the movie features some good old fashioned cop stuff, some good old fashioned violence, and a great, good old fashioned bad guy (the lost art of the great bad guy) played by the always stellar Henry Silva. It also features an awesome stunt by stunt legend (whatever happened to stunt legends?) and Reynolds' STICK co-star, Dar Robinson. As usual, Reynolds is great in the title roll of Sharky - I've just always wondered if a more experienced director (perhaps John Frankenheimer) had helmed this film, and STICK for that matter, would that have elevated this film to action classic status? It's very possible...