Shaft (2000)

New York City police detective John Shaft (nephew of the original 1970s detective) goes on a personal mission to make sure the son of a real estate tycoon is brought to justice after a racially-motivated murder.

Director:

John Singleton

Writers:

Ernest Tidyman (novel), John Singleton (story),

Stars:

Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Jeffrey Wright

1 win & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Samuel L. Jackson	...	John Shaft
Vanessa Williams	...	Carmen Vasquez
Jeffrey Wright	...	Peoples Hernandez
Christian Bale	...	Walter Wade, Jr.
Busta Rhymes	...	Rasaan
Dan Hedaya	...	Jack Roselli
Toni Collette	...	Diane Palmieri
Richard Roundtree	...	Uncle John Shaft
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	...	Jimmy Groves
Josef Sommer	...	Curt Fleming
Lynne Thigpen	...	Carla Howard
Philip Bosco	...	Walter Wade, Sr.
Pat Hingle	...	Hon. Dennis Bradford
Lee Tergesen	...	Luger
Daniel von Bargen	...	Lt. Kearney (as Daniel Von Bargen)

Storyline

Cool and deadly NYPD detective John Shaft arrests Walter Wade, Jr. in a racially-motivated slaying. The eye witness disappears, Wade jumps bail for Switzerland, and Shaft is livid. Two years later, Wade returns to face trial, confident his father's money and influence (and racial politics) guarantee an innocent verdict. Shaft looks hard for the witness, so Wade wants someone to kill her. He turns to a ghetto drug king, Peoples Hernandez, who's willing to kill for money, use Wade as a route to rich drug customers, and shaft Shaft. Can Shaft find the witness, convince her to testify, and shepherd her through the hail of bullets that Peoples is sure to let fly?

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Plot Keywords:

detective | drugs | new york city | police detective | switzerland | 

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Taglines:

Still the man, any questions?

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Filmax (Spanish) Paramount

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English German Spanish

Release Date:

16 June 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shaft Returns

Filming Locations:

Broadway & 20th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$46,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£872,545 (UK) (15 September 2000)

Gross:

ESP 228,558,146 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Munich Film Partners & Company (MFP) Shaft Productions, New Deal Productions, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

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 producer Scott Rudin demanded the character to be changed to be Shaft's nephew and for Richard Roundtree's participation to be reduced.

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Goofs

In the final chase with Peoples as the two cars race by the warehouse you can see a large 10k light on a rolling stand, a smaller light resting on the curb and a crew member sitting next to the rolling stand. This group is visible on the side street the two cars drive by.

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Quotes

Peoples Hernandez: [In jail] What you in here for, man? Income tax evasion?

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Connections

Referenced in Who Is Alan Smithee? (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Tough Guy"
by André Benjamin (as Andre Benjamin), Big Boi (as Antwan Patton), David Sheats (as David A. Sheats),
Chad Butler (as Chad L. Butler) and Bun B (as Bernard J. Freeman)
Performed by Outkast (as OutKast) featuring U.G.K. (as UGK)
Courtesy of LaFace Records/Jive Records

User Reviews

a low down dirty shame

"a low down dirty shame" - that's the name of the movie this movie was based on, originally directed & starring Keenan Wayans (1994). But that film is as much comedy as action film. This is... well, obviously, Samuel Jackson wanted to show that he could play "black"; but I don't know who ever doubted that.

The original Shaft suffered from a lack of proper pacing, due largely to the editor's uncertainty as to where that film was going.

This film suffers from the fact that - being a borrowed story all around - the story itself isn't sure where it's going.

Well, it's nice to see Richard roundtree on the big screen again - a wholly underrated and type-cast actor, he deserves more and better roles.