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

When Shaft takes out Peoples, you can clearly see the pads protecting Peoples' knees as he falls to the ground.

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Quotes

[Walter Wade Jr. walks into Peoples' house, trying to look cool]
Peoples Hernandez: You tryin' to blend in or something? You look like a fucking duck hunter.

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Connections

Referenced in The Commission (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Verano Solido"
by Raul Acosta
Performed by Oro Solido
Courtesy of Platano Records Corp.

User Reviews

Smooth as silk

I love this 1980s-style action flick, and watch it every time it is pops up on TV. Sam Jackson plays Shaft's nephew, a big-city cop trying to track down a reluctant witness to a racially motivated murder. The killer, played by a sinister, pre-BATMAN Christian Bale, is modeled on the New York preppie rapist (remember him?). He hires a low-level drug dealer (Jeffrey Wright) to track down the witness, a waitress (Toni Collette), and kill her. Shaft must find her before they do. Jackson is silky smooth, the action is right out of a DIE HARD or LETHAL WEAPON flick, and the landscape is populated by some great supporting players including Dan Hedaya as a corrupt cop and Vanessa Williams as a cop who has Shaft's back. The original Shaft, Richard Roundtree, even pops up a couple of times. This is one wild and funny ride that plays the way we prefer our action films to play. At times, it is a little thin on plot, but it keeps moving. No blood to speak of, just action, action and more action. And keep a close eye on Wright, a noted stage and screen actor. His soft-spoken drug lord tenderly holds a newborn baby at one moment and in the next pokes a knife into the neck of a terrified woman. He steals every scene he is in.