Sharky's Machine
1981 · Movie · R · 122 min · ★ 6.2 · 72% critics
After a botched operation, a police officer is reassigned to vice and uncovers a web of corruption tied to powerful people. As his squad digs deeper through surveillance and street-level leads, the case grows more personal and more dangerous.
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Details
- Years
- 1981
- Release date
- 1981-12-18
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 122 min
- Critic score
- 72/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.2/10 (112 votes)
- Box office
- $35,610,100
- Budget
- $17,500,000
About
You may like this if you enjoy slow-burn, gritty cop thrillers with corruption, stakeouts, and rough-edged atmosphere, somewhere between Code of Silence and 52 Pick-Up; Not for you if you want fast pacing or constant action.
Pros: sharp witty dialogue; gritty crime setup; strong supporting team | Cons: slow middle stretch; dated music choices; light on action
Themes
- martial arts
- robbery
- police
- jazz
- transvestism
- gangster
- finger
- vice
- revenge
- murder
- scam
- prostitution
- +1 more
Cast & crew
Burt Reynolds
as Tom Sharky
Rachel Ward
as Domino
Henry Silva
as Billy Score
Brian Keith
as Papa
Vittorio Gassman
as Victor Scorelli
Charles Durning
as Lt. Friscoe
Earl Holliman
as Donald Hotchkins
Bernie Casey
as Arch
Richard Libertini
as Nosh
Darryl Hickman
as Smiley
Directed by Burt Reynolds