Sharky's Machine

"Nobody leans on Sharky's Machine."

1981 2h 2m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 120

CrimeDramaActionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Police officer Tom Sharky gets busted back to working vice, where he happens upon a scandalous conspiracy involving a local politician. Sharky's new 'machine' gathers evidence while Sharky falls in love with a woman he has never met.

“Nobody leans on Sharky's Machine.”

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Cast

Burt Reynolds
Tom Sharky
Rachel Ward
Domino
Henry Silva
Billy Score
Brian Keith
Papa
Vittorio Gassman
Victor Scorelli
Charles Durning
Lt. Friscoe
Earl Holliman
Donald Hotchkins
Bernie Casey
Arch

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Burt Reynolds
Writers: Gerald Di Pego
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Burt Reynolds, shot by William A. Fraker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Al Capps. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William D. Gordean shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Burt Reynolds and Rachel Ward and Henry Silva carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Nobody leans on Sharky's Machine.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0083064 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Burt Reynolds directs. William A. Fraker behind the camera. Al Capps scores. William D. Gordean cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

145 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Burt Reynolds, shot by William A. Fraker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Al Capps. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor William D. Gordean shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Burt Reynolds and Rachel Ward and Henry Silva carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Nobody leans on Sharky's Machine.".
7IMDB entry: tt0083064 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 13 themes, including "martial arts", "robbery", "police", "jazz".

The technical file

Cinematography: William A. Fraker
Original score: Al Capps
Editing: William D. Gordean
Production design: Walter Scott Herndon
Costume design: Norman Salling
Runtime: 122 min · 2h 2m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $17,500,000
Box office: $35,610,100
Return: 203% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Sharky's Machine (1981)

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Burt Reynolds

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Community reviews

What people are saying

GenerationofSwine2023-01-12
★ 10/10
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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