Tom Sharky, a narcotics sergeant for the Atlanta Police Department, is working on a transaction with drug dealer Highball. Another member of the force, Smiley, shows up unexpectedly during the sting, causing the drug dealer to run and Sharky to give chase, ultimately shooting the suspect on a MARTA bus, but only after the wounding of the bus driver and a passenger. In the aftermath, Sharky is demoted to the vice squad, which is considered the least desirable assignment in the police department. 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 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. During one stakeout Dominoe is seen having a romantic rendezvous with Hotchkins, who promises her a house to live in after he gets elected. During one of the other stakeouts, a mysterious crime kingpin known as Victor comes to the apartment. He has been controlling her life since she was a young girl, but now with lasting happiness in her future, she wants out. Victor seemingly agrees, but forces her to have sex with him one last time..... Cast Burt Reynolds as Sergeant Tom Sharky Charles Durning as Lieutenant Friscoe Vittorio Gassman as Albert Scorelli / Victor D'Anton Brian Keith as Detective "Papa" Marindo Bernie Casey as Detective Arch Driscoll Rachel Ward as Dominoe Brittain Darryl Hickman as Detective Smiley Earl Holliman as Donald Hotchkins Henry Silva as Carlos "Billy Score" Scorelli Richard Libertini as Nosh John Fiedler as Barrett Hari Rhodes as "Highball Mary" Joseph Mascolo as Detective Joe "Jo-Jo" Tipps Carol Locatell as Mabel Tony King as "Kitten" Holmes James O'Connell as "Twigs" Suzee Pai as Siakwan Dan Inosanto as Chin #1Weaver Levy as Chin #2Aarika Wells as Tiffany May Keller as May Sheryl Kilby as Lisa Val Avery as Manny, Man With Siakwan William Diehl as Percy Sinclair Bill Nunn as Kitten's Bouncer (uncredited) Dar Robinson as Stunt Performer (uncredited) Directed by Burt Reynolds Screenplay by Gerald Di Pego Based on Sharky's Machine by William Diehl Produced by Hank Moonjean Starring Burt Reynolds Vittorio Gassman Brian Keith Charles Durning Earl Holliman Bernie Casey Henry Silva Darryl Hickman Richard Libertini Rachel Ward Cinematography William A. Fraker Edited by William D. Gordean Dennis Virkler Music by Doc Severinsen