Sharky’s Machine (Burt Reynolds, 1981)

Demoted to head his department’s vice squad, veteran officer Sharky (Burt Reynolds) rallies his ragtag team to undertake a complex sting operation involving a prostitution ring, an uber-violent killer (Henry Silva) and the future governor of Georgia.

Undertaking surveillance of sex worker Domino (Rachel Ward), Sharky finds his investment in the case is becoming less professional…

All I could think of while watching Sharky’s Machine was what a contrast it made with the directorial work of George Clooney.

While Clooney does not seem to have any specific interests or contradictions (at least interesting ones) as a filmmaker, Burt Reynolds is a different kettle of fish. I have not watched any of Reynolds’ other directorial efforts - but after Sharky’s Machine I am so excited to watch more of his work. 

There is almost too much going on in this movie. I was trying to describe the movie to a friend and completely forgot about the ninjas and Henry Silvia’s drugged-up assassin!

While it starts as a relatively straight police procedural, the plot takes so many detours it starts to feel like a series of vignettes - here is Rear Window with Burt! How about Laura, with Burt! Ever wondered what Klute would be like with Burt?

Actually that last comparison is a little pointless. Burt had already had a go at a movie based around the relationship between a cop and a sex worker with 1975’s Hustle. Despite the pedigree of director Robert Aldrich and Catherine Deneuve as his co-star, that movie had not done that well. Clearly, Reynolds felt otherwise, because Sharky’s Machine feels like a rerun. 

All those movies listed revolve around a man’s obsession with a woman, and while it cannot hold a candle to the perversity or darkness of those movies, it gives this movie a unique pulse. 

Reynolds’ persona is based around relaxation, effortlessness, an ability to not take anything (including himself) too seriously. Juxtaposing that persona with the character’s fixation on Rachel Ward’s character, it makes for an interesting clash.

I do not even think it is accidental. There is something compelling about watching this seemingly cool guy completely go against his own persona. There is something almost more disturbing in that it is carefree Burt with his waggling eyebrows who is so obsessed. The charm feels more superficial, the jokes feel more like deflections - Sharky is missing something in his life, and this voyeuristic exercise is filling that internal space. 

It is just weird that this more internal narrative, this rather subtle character study, is sandwiched between large-scale action scenes and bizarrely histrionic sessions with his colleagues.

While the film’s narrative and aesthetic leans toward being a thriller, in the group dynamic between the cops, the film feels like a sports movie, with Reynolds the coach of a team of fellow loose cannons.

I am not sure if Reynolds knows what he had with this movie, but in its shaggy, overlong way, this movie is fun.

I put off watching Sharky’s Machine for a while because of the Action Boyz podcast - in their discussion of the film, they highlighted the scenes with Reynolds and his crew. They pointed out how long-winded and improvised they feel. Their review is hilarious, but that one observation put the movie on the backburner. 

I wish I had watched it sooner. Sure, it is overlong, and features a lot of repetitive bicking, but the movie is a buffet. And there are enough weird choices to make it worth watching - and talking about.

I can’t believe I forgot to mention the ninjas again.

Related

Heat (1986)

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