Sharky's Machine is a 1981 American neo-noir[3] action thriller film directed by Burt Reynolds, who stars in the title role.

[5] It also stars Vittorio Gassman, Brian Keith, Charles Durning, Earl Holliman, Bernie Casey, Henry Silva, Darryl Hickman, Richard Libertini, Rachel Ward and Joseph Mascolo.

Tom Sharky, a narcotics sergeant for the Atlanta Police Department, is working on a transaction with drug dealer Highball.

In the depths of the vice-squad division, led by Friscoe, the arrest of small-time hooker Mabel results in the accidental discovery of a high-class prostitution ring that includes a beautiful escort named Dominoe, who charges $1,000 a night.

Sharky and his new partners begin a surveillance of her apartment and discover that Dominoe is having a relationship with Donald Hotchkins, a candidate running for the position of the governor of Georgia.

With a team of downtrodden fellow investigators that includes veteran Papa, Arch, and surveillance man Nosh, referred to by Friscoe sarcastically as Sharky's "machine", he sets out to find where the trail leads.

Sharky watches the affair from the rented apartment and is disgusted with what he sees, as he has privately been developing feelings for her while viewing her and listening to the bugged conversations.

The next day, Sharky witnesses Dominoe being killed by a shotgun blast through her front door, disfiguring her face beyond recognition.

Meanwhile, Nosh telephones Sharky telling him that most of the surveillance tapes have disappeared from the police station, leaving the pair wondering if the investigation has been compromised.

Billy Score's henchmen killed Tipps when he threatned to give the District Attorney certain facts of Sharky's latest moves.

Later Hotchkins, at a political rally celebrating his electoral win, catches glimpses of both Dominoe and Sharky, to the candidate's considerable shock.

Vowing to kill himself rather than give the police the satisfaction Billy is ultimately gunned down by Sharky, crashes through a window and plummets to his death on the street.

But Catherine Deneuve once told me that to judge how a beautiful woman will appear on the screen you must look through the camera and see if it has a love affair with her.

[18] The opening credits use the 1979 hit song "Street Life", originally performed by The Crusaders with vocalist Randy Crawford.

The recording in the film is a newer version (song length ~4:17) orchestrated by Doc Severinsen, inviting Crawford to reprise her vocal and who composed the original score, as well.

[19] The Sharky's Machine original motion picture soundtrack contained these tracks: The film received mostly positive reviews from critics.

[6] Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, writing that "'Sharky's Machine' contains all of the ingredients of a tough, violent, cynical big-city cop movie, but what makes it intriguing is the way that Burt Reynolds ... plays against those conventions....

"[20] Janet Maslin wrote in The New York Times, "Burt Reynolds establishes himself as yet another movie star who is as valuable behind the camera as he is in front of it.

"[21] Variety noted, "Directing himself in 'Sharky's Machine,' Burt Reynolds has combined his own macho personality with what's popularly called mindless violence to come up with a seemingly guaranteed winner.

"[23] Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times called the film "a brutal, fast-moving cop action film about love, corruption and politics in Atlanta ... Before the picture falls into lunatic excess in its last quarter, its best moments happen between Sharky and his team members, especially his wiretap expert played with impeccable timing by Richard Libertini.

"[24] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote, "'Sharky's Machine' should become the runaway box-office smash of the season, unless a vast moviegoing public has suddenly sworn off glossy, viciously provocative diversion.

Directing his own starring vehicle, that sly boots Burt Reynolds gives the audience a shamelessly lurid but stylish going-over, while putting a clever new wrinkle or two on his own status.