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
Stars:
Samuel L. Jackson,
Vanessa Williams,
Christian Bale
Based on the movies of the same name, John Shaft is a two-fisted black private eye along the lines of Mike Hammer and Phillip Marlowe. Each week presents a different case and a different ... See full summary »
Stars:
Richard Roundtree,
Eddie Barth,
Judie Stein
After saving a Black Panther from some racist cops, a black male prostitute goes on the run from "the man" with the help of the ghetto community and some disillusioned Hells Angels.
Director:
Melvin Van Peebles
Stars:
Melvin Van Peebles,
Simon Chuckster,
Hubert Scales
John Shaft is the ultimate in suave black detectives. He first finds himself up against Bumpy, the leader of the Black crime mob, then against Black nationals, and finally working with both against the White Mafia who are trying to blackmail Bumpy by kidnapping his daughter.Written by
John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
Shaft tells Bumpy his fee is $50/hr (plus expenses), which would equate to $310/hr in 2017. See more »
Goofs
In the beginning when Shaft is walking across a street, an overhead shot shows him walking past a taxi and nearly getting hit by a taxi. However, a street-level shot shows Shaft standing in front of and giving the finger to the brown car. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
John Shaft:
[holding up his middle finger to a cab driver who is honking his horn at him]
Up yours! Get out the way!
See more »
Alternate Versions
CBS edited 28 minutes from this film for its 1975 network television premiere. See more »
This known film deals with Shaft (Richard Roundtree , though Ron O'Neal auditioned for the role , he was turned down because the producers felt his complexion was too light) , an extremely tough and independent detective contracted by Harlem's drug king called Bumpy (Moses Gunn , character is based on Bumpy Johnson , an African-American mobster in the 1930s) for freeing his abducted daughter . Shaft running afoul into Harlem and confronts a sinister monsters bands in order to rescue her . The private-eye eliminates anyone who stands in this way on his objective and breaks all the rules in going after baddies , battling a variety of bullies , besides avoiding the confronting between black gangs and white gangs . He's helped by a Lt. chief Inspector called Vic (Charles Cioffi) and by group of Black Power followers (Christopher John) .
This fist and guns opera features some passable acting , noisy action sequences , though no too much , and results to be quite entertaining . It's an intriguing film , plenty of thriller , suspense , kinky sex and much of the action centers around 125th Street in Harlem . Nice interpretation from Richard Roundtree , though Isaac Hayes auditioned for the title role , producers cast Roundtree , but were so impressed with Hayes that they asked him to write the now legendary score to the film . Violent , raw script in which the action keeps things moving along by Ernest Tidyman (French connection). The Ernest Tidyman novel which was the basis for the film is about a black detective and not a white one . It was rumored to be written as just another detective movie , with a white detective in the lead , but , after the success of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) , the film was rewritten and recast as a blaxploitation movie . Special mention for soul musical score that still resonates by Isaac Hayes who won an Academy Award . The picture was professionally directed by Gordon Parks , but it has a lot of violence , profanity and adult subject matter . The result is a strong entry for action buffs , plus creating the blaxploitation sub-genre . It's followed by two inferior sequels with similar players : ¨Big score¨ (Gordon Parks) with Moses Gunn and ¨Shaft in Africa¨ (John Guillermin) with Vonetta McGee and a recent version (2000 , by John Singleton) with Samuel L. Jackson and cameo by Richard Roundtree as Shaft's uncle .
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This known film deals with Shaft (Richard Roundtree , though Ron O'Neal auditioned for the role , he was turned down because the producers felt his complexion was too light) , an extremely tough and independent detective contracted by Harlem's drug king called Bumpy (Moses Gunn , character is based on Bumpy Johnson , an African-American mobster in the 1930s) for freeing his abducted daughter . Shaft running afoul into Harlem and confronts a sinister monsters bands in order to rescue her . The private-eye eliminates anyone who stands in this way on his objective and breaks all the rules in going after baddies , battling a variety of bullies , besides avoiding the confronting between black gangs and white gangs . He's helped by a Lt. chief Inspector called Vic (Charles Cioffi) and by group of Black Power followers (Christopher John) .
This fist and guns opera features some passable acting , noisy action sequences , though no too much , and results to be quite entertaining . It's an intriguing film , plenty of thriller , suspense , kinky sex and much of the action centers around 125th Street in Harlem . Nice interpretation from Richard Roundtree , though Isaac Hayes auditioned for the title role , producers cast Roundtree , but were so impressed with Hayes that they asked him to write the now legendary score to the film . Violent , raw script in which the action keeps things moving along by Ernest Tidyman (French connection). The Ernest Tidyman novel which was the basis for the film is about a black detective and not a white one . It was rumored to be written as just another detective movie , with a white detective in the lead , but , after the success of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) , the film was rewritten and recast as a blaxploitation movie . Special mention for soul musical score that still resonates by Isaac Hayes who won an Academy Award . The picture was professionally directed by Gordon Parks , but it has a lot of violence , profanity and adult subject matter . The result is a strong entry for action buffs , plus creating the blaxploitation sub-genre . It's followed by two inferior sequels with similar players : ¨Big score¨ (Gordon Parks) with Moses Gunn and ¨Shaft in Africa¨ (John Guillermin) with Vonetta McGee and a recent version (2000 , by John Singleton) with Samuel L. Jackson and cameo by Richard Roundtree as Shaft's uncle .