Shaft (2000)

“You know me. It’s my duty to please that booty! ” – John Shaft

Number of Times Seen – 1 (1 May 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A police detective tries to find a way to arrest the son of a wealthy man who he believes committed a racially charged murder.

My Take on it – This is a film that I’ve been interested in seeing for quite a while and am glad that I finally got the opportunity to do so.

Samuel L. Jackson is the perfect choice to take overt the mantle of this iconic character because he truly personifies the “coolness” associated with the character of Shaft.

The way that they present the mystery of this film is done in a pretty tame way and especially given the fact that even when this way made, the world was inundated with lots and lots of TV police procedural dramas, they truly could have found a way to raise the stakes on this one especially given the fact that this was a theatrical release.

This movie has very few surprises along the way which is a shame because it plays the story arc out in a very predictable and standard way that takes away from making this film more intriguing to watch.

It was nice to see Richard Roundtree in a free scenes helping out Jackson with his case even if it’s obvious that he is just there as a cameo.

Bottom Line – Great seeing Jackson in action in this role because he does a nice job personifying the iconic character’s “coolness”. The mystery of the film is done well but still seems a bit tame since it easily could have been something presented on a TV procedural instead of in a theatrical story. There are just a few surprises and things move along in a pretty predictable arc. Nice seeing Roundtree appear in order to bring the original character back on screen to help Jackson’s character try and solve his mystery.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – John Singleton’s original idea was for the main character to be the son of John Shaft and that the two Shafts would work together. But no studio was willing to finance the project. Paramount Pictures Producer Scott Rudin demanded the main character to be changed to be Shaft’s nephew, and for Richard Roundtree’s participation to be reduced. (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (6/10)