Written by James M. Tate / 3/16/2017 / No comments / action , bernie casey , brian keith , burt reynolds , cop , crime , eighties , henry silva , jazz score , neo noir , rachel ward , vice
OPAQUE GLIMPSE OF THE 'LAURA' NOIR OF 'SHARKY'S MACHINE'
Blu Ray for SHARKY'S MACHINE Year: 1981 |
Source Novel turned Novelization Style |
And this movie's ingenue, Rachel Ward, would be, in the decade to come, no stranger to Neo Noir, later replacing Jane Greer in a steamier OUT OF THE PAST remake titled AGAINST ALL ODDS, and in the Steve Martin archive footage Noir fest, DEAD MEN DON'T WEAR PLAID. Meanwhile, Reynolds played in several Neo's including SHAMUS, HUSTLE, FUZZ and as director, this MACHINE was his chance to go underneath the character — starting out where Quentin Tarantino's JACKIE BROWN would almost-finish-up: a bearded undercover Reynolds as Sharky determinedly strolls to Randy Crawford's funky soul track titled Street Life, followed by an bloody violent shoot-em-up that's part Western and does in fact resemble Eastwood's HARRY more than any other scene. But Sharky has much less control than Eastwood's icon, quickly being demoted down to Vice inside a grungy basement quarters, where the real story begin (and least not forget, Clint had his own SMOKY AND THE BANDIT with the ANY WHICH WAY films)...
Neat Neon Noir Poster |
Original LP Signed by Earl Holliman |
For fans of his better Hal Needham action flicks like HOOPER and even the first CANNONBALL RUN, there's good news and bad, and for those weary of Burt's acting troupe behaving like they're involved in an end credit blooper reel or a improvisational workshop, it's mostly good since, when it counts, the performances are right to the point, sparse like the dialogue and old fashion tough. That's if you don't count miscast motormouth wire man Richard Libertini and grouchy lecturing Vice boss Charles Durning — the latter who's usually always overboard yet good but he goes so horribly over the top, the other actors have to wait until his frantic monologues end: and often seem in a different movie altogether...
Burt, Richard, Bernie and Brian SHARKYScore: **** |
An underrated, forgotten gem, lost within a myriad of Burt Reynolds flicks during his popular peak, and, with only sporadic action sequences, relies mostly on grisly murders... a few bordering on an exploitation body-count horror flick mostly from the hand of Henry Silva, the gloriously insane, drugged-up, wide-eyed hit man brother of lead heavy Vittorio Gassman (a deathly charming gentleman liken to a powerfully rich Bond villain), who's put in his place too quickly for Sharky to fight for his life once the second half shifts from a cop melodrama into high octane bedlam where Burt Reynolds, in front of the screen and behind the camera, sure ain't fooling around this time.
Henry Silva is Clifton Webb's wild side; Vittorio Gassman the classy side: LAURA and SHARKY'S MACHINE |
Labels:
action,
bernie casey,
brian keith,
burt reynolds,
cop,
crime,
eighties,
henry silva,
jazz score,
neo noir,
rachel ward,
vice
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