Film Review: Shaft (2000)

over 1 year ago

(source: tmdb.org)

One of the most important important films in the history of early 1970s American cinema was Shaft. It launched a brand new subgenre of action thrillers known as “blaxploitation” and, more importantly, provided African Americans and black people in general with their own first iconic action hero, paving the way for elimination of the last remaining racial barriers in subsequent years and decades. The trend, however, didn’t last long and Shaft received only two sequels. Many years later John Singleton, renowned African American film maker and great fan of the original, tried to resurrect the franchise with another sequel, 2000 film Shaft.

While the protagonist of the original Shaft was New York private detective John Shaft (played by Richard Roundtree). He appears in small cameo as owner of successful detective agency, but the real protagonist is John Shaft (played by Samuel L. Jackson), his nephew who chose career of detective within New York Police Department. Plot begins when he gets assigned the case of Trey Howard (played by Mekhi Phifer), black college student who got beaten by death by Walter Wade Jr. (played by Christian Bale), racist son of wealthy and influential family. Shaft doesn’t take much to find the perpetrator, but Diane Palmieri (played by Toni Collette), waitress who witnessed the crime, goes into hiding. Wade’s wealthy father and political influence ensure that Wade would get released after posting ridiculously low bail and immediately escape to Switzerland. He returns after two years, but Shaft has been patiently waiting for him. He has him rearrested, but during detention Wade befriends Dominican drug dealer Peoples Hernandez (played by Jeffrey Wright). He offers him money to find and permanently silence Diane Palmieri and, if necessary, Shaft himself.

Shaft was greeted with low expectations, and not only because Hollywood had poor record in remaking or resurrecting 1970s classics. The production was beset by conflicts between Singleton and his main star Jackson, while both clashed with Richard Price, screenwriter who, according to their opinion, hadn’t properly understood character of John Shaft and spirit of the original films. Singleton, on the other hand, didn’t allow huge respect towards original Shaft (whose director Gordon Parks also appears in small camero role) to prevent him from delivering a solid crime thriller. Much of credits for that should go to Samuel L. Jackson, one of the most iconic and popular Hollywood stars at the time. He tried very hard to make young John Shaft as “cool” and “hip” as Richard Roundtree was while playing protagonist’s famous uncle.

The plot was, on the other hand, relatively weak and burdened with cliches. On the other hand, promotion of vigilantism as a method of obtaining justice in corrupt and still racially unequal America looked somewhat refreshing compared to “socially responsible” crime films of late 1990s and early 2000s Hollywood. The major difference between old and new Shaft was, however, infusion of “political correctness” that prevented protagonist of becoming “unstoppable love machine”; compared to Roundtree’s successful and charismatic ladies’ man, Jackson’s version looks like a monk. Some of the cast was disappointing, like rather disinterested Toni Collette and Christian Bale who, more or less, recycles his character from American Psycho. Supporting players are much better, including rapper Busta Rhymes in the role of Shaft’s sidekick. But all acting performances are overshadowed by Jeffrey Wright who even managed to win changes in the script to make character of Peoples more interesting. Shaft had mixed reviews, but box office results were solid. In 2019 another sequel titled Shaft was released, but it failed to repeat success of previous versions.

RATING: 5/10 (++)