sharky machine be clearly a burt reynolds vehicle design to allow the star room to strut his talent and he spray paint the machine and the film plot and with color from other film and other style and offer a variety of mood within a nourish story . make in 1981 at 119 minute ( lengthy for the time period ) and the film do well and with box office gross at $ 37 and 800 and 000. it have a lot go for it represent burt reynolds actor and director and a solid one two punch while a william diel novel adaptation and and the south land of atlanta georgia and at this time and a land of opportunity for film production out of hollywood . reynolds tom sharky fall in love with rachel ward dominoe the hooker with a heart of gold be here echo a it be in hustle when he play opposite catherine deneuve and and that film also have a corrupt politician at it core and but with downbeat end not the hollywood happiness in sharky machine . the story be pure detective procedure or actioner . sharky a narcotic detective mismanage up a bust of a drug dealer and cause the killing of some innocent bystander and and get demote and literally transfer downstairs to vice and to deal with pervert and and other m misdemeanor that upstanding cop consider latrine duty . his new dig offer him the chance to meet many equally upstanding officer who be do the dirty job no one else want . when some attention be point toward a certain pimp sharky look over some evidence and discovers that one particular prostitute dominoe ( rachel ward ) dominoe be be shield by police force and political force and sharky set himself up a 24 hour surveillance force to watch her . during the time he watch he learn that the current governor elect hotchkins ( earl holliman ) be visit dominoe and as be a slick italian gangster victor ( vittorio gassman ) . before the police can build a case with the evidence and billy and victor brother and a coke snort gunman ( henry silva ) shoot through the door of dominoe apartment seemingly kill the beautiful dominoe and but when sharky discovers that the murdered victim be actually a roommate tiffany ( aarika well ) sharky confronts victor and tell him that he be go to have him arrest . sharky be capture by some ninja killer lead by smiley ( darryl hickman ) and be torture for information to lead to dominoe and but sharky overpowers them and arrest the governor and in a heated chase kill billy after he have kill victor . reynolds want to exhibit the inner working of a hardened policeman fall in love and but the police story plot and flavor with noir element and and reynolds ability at cinematic development tend to slick over the dynamic of the relationship . we come to learn something about some of the men and this lead u to reason why they be work towards their pension in vice and instead of fight real crime this element of the film seem sketchy under reynolds off hand direction and performance . there be always uniqueness to a reynolds film . he like to hire star and either character actor or others and then allow them to improvise and sometimes with varying result . with his crew in sharky machine he get some fine moment and and sometimes some overblown grandstanding but always a sense of ensemble and good natured ness . with reynolds a auteur it work . reynolds and the actor or auteur always seem to be smirk at himself and the viewer a if to say it all fake and but good fun . great line represent in the scene with victor when sharky throw down the gauntlet youre walkin all over people like you own em and and you wan na know the bad part . youre from out of state . this seem to be the great insult the officer can throw at a criminal . reynolds make the film in atlanta at his career point have shoot himself read the phone book and would have surely target and demographic . the film do mark the appearance of rachel ward who be nominate a new star of the year in 1981 by the golden globe . reynolds have always have presence and star power and have choose to make film close to home and georgia . i get my dvd from half . com for $ 7 . 99 and unfortunately it doesn not contain any commentary or making of feature and which be a shame . maybe the next generation will have them . the movie be still a lot of fun and both reynolds and ward be great look actor in their prime .