Sharky’s Machine 1981 ***

Burt Reynolds’s good ole-boy charm had made him a hot enough property in the early eighties that he was allowed to direct himself in this violent thriller, which sees Reynolds play a quite different role to his Bandit/Cannonball run heroes. As narcotics cop Sharky, Reynolds has to deal with internal corruption while investigating a call-girl ring, in the process falling for high-class hooker Dominoe (Rachel Ward). Based on William Diehl’s novel and filmed on the meaner streets of Atlanta, this 1981 thriller features a great cast as the ‘machine’ with which Sharkey cleans up the streets; Brian Keith, Charles Durning and Bernie Casey, while Henry Silva is always a great villain to match up against. More violent and thoughtful than most Hollywood thrillers, Sharky’s Machine shows Reynolds at his best.