Paul Magne Haakonsen Right, well for some reason the "Sharky's Machine" had managed to elude me up until now. I got a chance to sit down and watch it, so I did. Of course, why wouldn't I? I mean, this is Burt Reynolds at the prime of his career. So what could possibly go wrong here?I managed to endure 50 minutes of this ordeal of a movie, before giving up out of utter boredom. Nothing, and I do mean nothing literally, happened at all, except for the beginning of the movie.I have no idea what this movie was about aside from Burt Reynolds playing a police man named Sharky whom was transferred to a different department after a civilian got injured because of his recklessness.No intention of returning to finish this snoozefest of a movie to finish watching it. The movie just had absolutely zero appeal to me.

Wuchak Released in 1981, "Sharky's Machine" stars Burt Reynolds as Sgt. Tom Sharky, an Atlanta cop who's demoted to the lowly vice division. Assigned to check out a high society prostitution ring, Sharky stumbles across a mob murder with governmental ties. He corrals his underdog vice team – the so-called Sharky's machine – to investigate and take down the guilty, whether mobsters or politicians. Rachel Ward plays the high-priced prostitute who fascinates Sharky, while Brian Keith and Bernie Casey play Sharky's partners, amongst others. Vittorio Gassman is on hand as the 'Godfather'-type heavy. The story, as reported, is that Burt Reynolds was friends with Clint Eastwood in the late 70s and Burt suggested that he would do a Dirty Harry-type movie if Clint did a comedy, like Burt's numerous good ol' boy flicks. So Clint did the two "Every/Any Which Way" movies (1978 and 1980) and Burt eventually did "Sharky's Machine," which he described as "Dirty Harry in Atlanta." While Burt certainly rivaled Clint as the best masculine actor of the mid-60s through the 80s (although I give Clint the edge), all five of the Dirty Harry pictures are better than "Sharky's Machine," even the heavily maligned "The Dead Pool" (1988), not to mention other Eastwood cop thrillers, like the excellent "The Gauntlet" (1977) and arguably "Tightrope" (1984). So what's wrong with "Sharky's Machine" (SM)? The first two times I tried to view it years ago I couldn't get past the 50-minute mark. How come? While SM has a decent action-filled start it doesn't outdo the beginnings of all or most of the Dirty Harry flicks (DH). Worse, soon after the first act, SM bogs down in a seemingly never-ending stakeout, which is mostly dull, although there are a couple of good dialogue sequences, like the old guy (Charles Durning) recounting killing a teen German during WWII. While SM gets better it never fully recovers from this long drag. All the DH films by comparison are entertaining from beginning to end, even their 'downtime' sequences. Furthermore, the way one of the two SM villains (Henry Silva) is scripted is sometimes eye-rolling, like the way he's always skulking nearby (e.g. the run-over-the-cop scene and the black criminal episode). If he's as addicted to drugs as the story suggests, how's he always at the proverbial right place at the right time? Then there are the cartoonish Asian martial artists that seem to come from an entirely different set. I'm not saying the DH flicks or "Gauntlet" didn't have cartoony elements, but they always pulled 'em off in an entertaining way. In SM they're just dumb. Still, the cast of SM is great, particularly Sharky's has-been partners, and it's great seeing Burt in a serious flick. He's always entertaining. I would've liked to have seen a SM series (like DH) because I think the sequels would've improved upon the solid foundation with a better story. The film runs 122 minutes and was shot entirely in Atlanta. GRADE: C+

drewman-3 This is a movie, like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, that I've seen a million times, and still enjoy popping in the DVD player every now and then.It's got everything, great script, characters, film score, camera work, etc. Burt Reynolds surrounded himself with excellent people, and they created a real gem. The supporting cast in particular, are the highlight of this film. Bernie Casey is a real standout, as the detective Arch. Low key, yet memorable portrayal with lots of nuances in his character. Totally owns all of his scenes.Sharky's team of investigators, Henry Silva as the drug addicted assassin, and Rachel Ward turn in superb performances as well. Can't leave out the late great Dar Robinson either, doing the spectacular fall from the Atlanta Hyatt Regency.

bkoganbing Sharky's Machine finds Burt Reynolds as a narcotics cop who after a failed buy and bust that wasn't his fault, but that got a few people killed in it, he finds himself demoted to the vice squad in Atlanta.The prestige is hardly as good as the narcotics beat, but it does have its fringe benefits. One night after a roundup of working girls where one of their books falls into their hands, the guys ask for surveillance on Rachel Ward's place. She's an expensive item, servicing both notorious mobster Vittorio Gassman and law and order gubernatorial candidate Earl Holliman.Their surveillance however records a murder and the rest of the film is Sharky and his new colleagues from vice trying to solve this prestige case.Though it's a Burt Reynolds film and those usually have some humor to them, the comedy is kept in check as the film turns as deadly serious as Dirty Harry. It was reported in fact that Clint Eastwood was offered this film.Look for some good performances by fellow vice cops Bernie Casey and Brian Keith and by Henry Silva the coked up brother of Gassman who does the dirty work of the organization and loves his job.It's not a bad film, a mixture of Dirty Harry and Laura. Why Laura? You'll have to see Sharky's Machine for that answer.