this be one of those film i would always come across ( be it on tv or cheap dvd ) and but never strike me to give it a shot a i think i wasn not miss out on much . it be on one night and i think oh well why not . a good decision too and a i would kick myself for take so long to get around to it . for me it leave me impressed and a it up there with burt reynold best feature ( deliverance and white lightning and boogie night ) and stream back to those 70s/80s gritty and hardboiled urban crime thriller that weren not afraid to be forebodingly obscure and go out of their way to set up character and pack it with realistically brutal force and effectively incorporate the local location ( atlanta be the case here ) to the fold with grounded photography . in certain shade it kind of remind me of dirty harry and but that loosely . however it saucily hone blue score with it simmer kick and funky shift and unhinged sound and very much have me thinking of lalo schifrin pulsate score he orchestrate for dirty harry . the music soundtrack on the other hand be hit or miss . sgt . tom sharky be an atlantic narcotic agent before a slip out during a bust saw him demote to vice work . along with his new squad they come across a prostitution ring and which catch their interest due to fact it own by one hard to track and to convict crime lord . what they dig up involve a prominent government figure and a call girl which can give them some important name and but they must get to her before she make a target . burt reynold act and but also direct in an unyieldingly firm and muscular fashion which would suit his laconically hard nosed performance and gerald di pego thematically hard bitten and taut screenplay ( that be adapt from william diehl novel ) . well he do show some sort of heart or insightful thought amongst that armor within the scene involve the fetchingly able british actress rachel ward and be it the stake out scene when he watch her from another building ( and slowly become infatuate by her ) to when they finally come together and but these latter interaction mid way through do slow up the momentum but give it noir like stroke . the performance be fairly spot on with reynold formulate a great rapport with exceptional actor charles durning and earl holliman and brian keith and richard libertini and bernie casey . the scathing profanity and witty dialogue between these guy be a blast . a for the corrupt villain and vittorio gassman build impose strength and power and but it henry silva ( who seem bear for these role ) icily cunning and unstoppable turn that make the show . where his appearance seem to outline thing to come and help them fall into place . plus his adrenaline fill and violent cat and mouse climax with sharky and his team be brilliantly do . the exciting action passage might be quick and dry and but remain lethally violent like an immensely teeth grind interrogation sequence . some handy and old fashion film technique add to the suspense . the intriguing material keep it quite tactical be character derive and but when we think it smooth sailing it offer up a blunt surprise or two along with some intensely brunt confrontation .