Shaft's Big Score! (1972)

Director:

Gordon Parks

Writer:

Ernest Tidyman (writer)

Release Date:

8 June 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

A brand new caper.

Plot:

Shaft is back to find the murderer of an old friend on the cold hard city streets with a little help from his new friends.

Plot Keywords:

African American | Sequel | Cult Favorite | Black Cop | Blaxploitation

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Richard Roundtree	...	John Shaft
Moses Gunn	...	Bumpy Jonas
Drew Bundini Brown	...	Willy
Joseph Mascolo	...	Gus Mascola
Kathy Imrie	...	Rita
Wally Taylor	...	Johnny Kelly
Julius Harris	...	Capt. Bollin (as Julius W. Harris)
Rosalind Miles	...	Arna Asby
Joe Santos	...	Pascal
Angelo Nazzo	...	Al
Don Blakely	...	Johnson
Melvin Green Jr.	...	Junior Gillis
Thomas Anderson	...	Preacher
Evelyn Davis	...	Old Lady
Richard Pittman	...	Kelly's Hood #1

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Ontario) | UK:X (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The shotgun used by John Shaft in the last part of the film is the High Standard HS-10B designed circa 1970, originally a law enforcement only firearm.

Quotes:

Shaft: Do you just sit around and think these things up, or do they just come to you in a flash?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Rod Stewart (#7.1)" (1981)

Soundtrack:

Don't Misunderstand

A bit disappointing but Roundtree is still super cool.

I'm not sure what went wrong with this sequel to 'Shaft'. Once again Gordon Parks directs, Ernest Tidyman writes and Richard Roundtree stars, but there's something missing. It isn't anywhere near as entertaining as the original and the story is very thin and padded out. The score isn't as good either. Isaac Hayes only contributes one number, Parks himself does the rest. Moses Gunn and Drew Bundini Brown reprise their roles as Bumpy and Willy and blaxploitation fave Julius W. Harris ('Superfly', 'Black Caesar') appears as a cop who forms an uneasy alliance of sorts with Shaft. Also check out future soap star Joseph Mascolo as a clarinet playing mobster called, er, Mascolo and Joe Santos later of 'The Rockford Files' as his right hand man. Richard Roundtree is still super cool as John Shaft and he helps make this movie to be fairly enjoyable. Personally I prefer the third in the series 'Shaft In Africa' to this, but if the truth be told neither sequel is a patch on the original which in an undisputed blaxploitation classic and essential viewing for any 70s buff.