ROTTEN TOMATOES: Wahlberg Tackles an Old Burt Reynolds "Machine"

Wahlberg Tackles an Old Burt Reynolds "Machine"

by Scott Weinberg | April 06, 2006

Director Phil Joanou and leading man Mark Wahlberg seem poised to mount a remake of Burt Reynolds' Sharky's Machine, a cop-action flick from 1981. Yep, Sharky's Machine. Raise your hand if you remember this one.

According to Variety, "Warner Bros. has tapped Phil Joanou to helm its remake of cop actioner "Sharky's Machine" and set it up with Basil Iwanyk's Thunder Road to produce. Project is a potential starring vehicle for Mark Wahlberg, who is exec producing with Stephen Levinson for Leverage Management. Burt Reynolds directed and toplined the 1981 Warners pic, based on the novel by William Diehl.

Updated version will vary in places from the original and likely won't be set in Atlanta. Story revolves around a tough homicide cop who is demoted to the lowest of the low, the morals squad. He rallies together a ragtag group of cops who successfully take down a man who rigs elections.

Remake was set up two years ago, with Jerry Stahl penning the script. Scribes Doug Miro and Carlos Bernard have since done a rewrite."

--

Joanou's previous films include Three O'Clock High, U2: Rattle and Hum, State of Grace, Final Analysis, Heaven's Prisoners, and the upcoming Gridiron Gang.

Related Items

Celeb:	Phil Joanou
	Burt Reynolds
	Mark Wahlberg
	Jerry Stahl
	Doug Miro
	Carlos Bernard
	Basil Iwanyk
Movie:	Sharky's Machine
	Heaven's Prisoners
	Three O'Clock High
	Final Analysis
	State of Grace
	U2 - Rattle and Hum

(1-2 of 2 posts) | Reply

b3lmont writes:
on Apr 06 2006 02:20 PM

alright hollywood her is your assignment. write (I WILL NOT REMAKE STUPID SHIT FOR NO REASON) 1000 times and turn it in to me tomorrow

(Reply to this)

chazbow writes:
on Apr 06 2006 11:13 PM

[b]The original is one of Burt's best[/b]
I remember the original very well. I first saw it right around Christmas of 1981 when I was 10 years old. And it still holds up as a damn good movie. At the time, Burt nicknamed it "Dirty Harry Goes To Atlanta."

But Mark Wahlberg in no Burt Reynolds, and director Phil Joanou has never lived up to the promise he showed with the great, underrated "State of Grace."

Honestly, I'd rather see a sequel about Sharky (Reynolds) nearing retirement and teaming with a young cop (Wahlberg) on his final case.

If they do remake it, and I seriously wish they wouldn't, they should at least cast Burt in the Charles Durning or Brian Keith role.

By the way, the original "Sharky's Machine" is long overdue for a widescreen special edition on DVD. The full-screen version that's been out for years just doesn't cut it.

(Reply to this)

RottenTomatoes.com