Shaft
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Movie Reviews of Shaft
Movie Review: "Shaft" rises above the insulting "blaxploitation" label.
Summary: 4 Stars
John Shaft's first screen adventure finds him hired by Harlem gang boss Bumpy to track down his daughter, who has been kidnapped. Setting aside the stigma many people attach to 1970s "blaxploitation" films, and my constant raving about how Shaft is da man, there's quite a lot to recommend in this film. Among the film's most famous attributes is its excellent score, particularly the "Theme from Shaft," by the legendary Isaac Hayes. To fully experience the power of his music for the film, however, one needs to seek out the "Shaft" soundtrack album. The recordings differ slightly from what is heard is the film, and the sound is much richer. Truly, this is one of the all-time greatest film scores. Leading the pack of talented actors is the man himself, Richard Roundtree, whose charismatic performance would carry the film even if it did not excel on all other fronts. As it is, Roundtree positively shines. I could go on to write pages about this film. Suffice to say it is an expert blend of humor, action, romance(of a sort), and suspense that is worth anyone's time. As for the picture and sound quality on the DVD, both are less than outstanding, but better than you might expect from a film nearly thirty years old. The extra features are nothing to get excited about, with most of them being pretty standard.Movie Review: The mob wanted Harlem back. They got shaft...up to here.
Summary: 4 Stars
That title is the films original tagline...and they got the shaft allright!Shaft is a great 70's urban classic. The film is beautifully photographed and staged. The atmospheric camera work captures the streets of New York, always keeping the look of the film harsh and cold. The color scheme is typical 70's muted with acidic contrasts, but at the same time uses a number of blue tinges, especially in the outdoors, to suggest the cold environment the people are facing.
The DVD is presented in the film's original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio as well as an open matte (fullscreen) transfer that adds some picture information at the top and the bottom of the screen. The transfers look pretty darned good for a 1971 flick. Audio is presented in the film's original monaural track and is fairly weak, though acceptable.
The DVD features includes a bonus documentary "Filming Shaft on Location", three trailers and cast biographies.
You gotta love Shaft & Richard Rountree. A great flick and a great DVD.
Movie Review: Above average detective film.
Summary: 4 Stars
I don't claim to be an expert on the history of films. Therefore, I won't discuss the place of "Shaft" in cinema. Instead, I'm simply going to review the movie.Right from the beginning, this movie shows it has an attitude, in the opening montage set to the backdrop of Isaac Hayes's now famous theme song. This attitude belongs to both "Shaft" the movie and John Shaft the character. Shaft is definitely the main character of this film. Watching him both outwit and outfight his opponents is a welcome change from today's mainly brainless action heroes. Indeed, one of my personal favorite scenes is the one where he serves drinks to the two men out to get him.
This is a movie with a deliberate sense of pacing. There are a couple of scenes that may drag a bit (and hence why I subtracted one star), but the vast majority keep you alert and never bored.
In summary, I definitely recommend "Shaft" for any fan of the detective or action genres, and indeed of film in general.
Movie Review: Roundtree Shines in Landmark Role
Summary: 4 Stars
The private eye, the mainstay of American cinema, was usually the domain of the Humphrey Bogart types. Richard Roudtree's John Shaft added more than pigmentation and turtlenecks to the genre. Roundtree brings an incandescent suaveness and coolness to the screen whether he's browbeating the bad guys, swatting racial insults like they're annoying gnats, or charming the ladies. Shaft is a classic screen character. It's unfortunate that "Shaft" is not a classic film. That can be attributed to a ho-hum storyline involving a Harlem kingpin hiring Shaft to free his kidnapped daughter from Mafia thugs. With the exception of Shaft, few of the characters in the film transcend the one-dimensional or the stereotypical. It's on the sheer star wattage of Roundtree that "Shaft" rises above the mundane.Movie Review: not "Hustle and Flo" but paved the way for the present
Summary: 4 Stars
After watching Hustle and Flo I sought to examine many of the Black Exploitation films of the 70's. Of course Richard Roundtree is the definitive example of this genre. To truly appreciate the films of today one should afford the opportunity to visit the historical genre of 30 years ago, start with "Shaft", try some Isaac Hayes, "Truck Turner" I found was better than "Shaft" and develop a more complete understanding of how the industry moves through eras.