Rating: R
Genre:
Thriller
Release Date: 10/20/1998
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English
Sound: DS
Run Time: 122 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Profanity
Distributor/Studio: Warner Home Video
A
William Diehl novel was the source of the
noirish nailbiter
Sharky's Machine.
Sharky (
Burt Reynolds) is an undercover cop who fouls up an assignment and is kicked downstairs to the vice squad -- a rough-shod bunch of hellraisers who make life miserable. Soon, however,
Sharky's life does a 180 when he encounters
Dominoe (
Rachel Ward) a prostitute seemingly in danger from her interaction with a number of very seedy thugs. To protect her,
Sharky lines the high-rise apartment across from her residence with security cameras and surveillance equipment -- which only makes matters sticky as
Sharky begins to fall in love with her. The film opened to a very warm critical reception (
Janet Maslin observed that "
Burt Reynolds establishes himself as yet another movie star who is as valuable behind the camera as he is in front of it"). It also features one of the most dangerous stunts on film, wherein the late stuntman
Dar Robinson free falls from 16 stories off the ground. The "machine" of the title refers to
Sharky's fellow cops, played by heavyweights
Brian Keith,
Charles Durning,
Bernie Casey, and others.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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