Shaft (2019)

Last night, I got the chance to watch the new “Shaft” movie, which came out a little over three weeks ago. How is it, you ask? The story is about Army vet Karim (Avan Jogia) dying of a heroin overdose and his best friend, FBI analyst John Shaft Jr. (Jessie T. Usher) finding it suspicious since Karim got clean and was involved with Brothers Watching Brothers, a group supporting addicted vets. However, the young man who hates guns does not take this well when he tries to follow clues that takes him inside Harlem’s drug underground. Needing help, he goes to his father, who his mother has kept him away from his entire life because of his violent lifestyle, John “Shaft.”

Why do they keep titling the films “Shaft?” Back in 2000, the late John Singleton casted Samuel L. Jackson in the role, not as the original “Shaft,” but his nephew in a sequel named “Shaft” just like the 1971 original. “Black-ish” Kenya Barris and “The Goldberg’s” Alex Barnow have also changed the family relationships for this third “Shaft,” Richard Roundtree is back again, this time as the father to Jackson’s Shaft, a change said in a throwaway line in the film’s final act. Laura Clifford said in her review, “New director Tim Story has changed the dynamic as well, the odd couple pairing of cool cat Shaft and the metrosexual, gun-loathing son raised to be completely different from his dad right out of his "Ride Along" playbook.” Thankfully, Jackson and Usher together is actually a lot more fun.

The film starts with a 1989 flashback which explains two things – Shaft’s still wanting revenge against Harlem drug lord Pierro “Gordito” Carrera (Isaach De Bankolé) and why his former wife Maya (Regina Hall) took their son and left (a simple issue of a baby in the backseat during a gun fight with the drug gang). The beginning credits montage shows Shaft trying to stay in his son’s life through so many increasingly inappropriate Christmas, birthday and graduation gifts.

JJ, as John Jr. is known, uses his position to retrieve important information, like Karim’s autopsy report that he shares with mutual college friend Sasha, played by Alexandra Shipp, a doctor who recognizes the amount of heroin in Karim’s body would have been impossible for him to take alone. However, when JJ goes to the location where Karim’s body was found, he’s gypped by a kid on a bike (Jalyn Hall) before getting the name of drug dealer Manny (Ian Casselberry) whose men punch him in the head. Meanwhile JJ’s FBI boss, Special Agent Vietti, played by Titus Welliver, warns him to step aside for the more experienced professionals when a politically sensitive surveillance case on the Rashad Azzam Mosque is given. (Clifford said, “Bonus points to those who suspect this mosque and dad's old nemesis might be tied to Karim's death.”)

Clifford mentioned, “The plot is almost beside the point in a movie like 2019's "Shaft," which exists solely to enjoy Samuel L. Jackson's cool quotient.  Expect to hear his signature swear involving mothers, as well as 2000's catch phrase 'It's my duty to please that booty.'  Neither prepares us for the hilarious sight gag that greets JJ when he knocks on dad's office door, a bit of curiously placed glitter telling a raunchy tale.  Do be prepared for a lot of sexist references and homophobic jokes (neither elder Shaft can get over the name of Karim's charity) that keep Shaft tethered to his 1970's origins.”

Samuel L. Jackson works well with Usher, at first criticizing his son’s abilities, then becoming impressed, especially when his son gets drunk at an underground club he’s taken to and fights someone with Capoeira, the Brazilian “dance” martial art; unusual, but successful. Clifford said, “Dad also nudges JJ's platonic relationship to the place Sasha's clearly waiting for it to be while waiting for the reemerged Maya to succumb to his charms.” Hall gives such a great performance as when she gets in a aggressive, but event matched relationship, taking a more positive role when that 1989 flashback is matched in a restaurant date (with Leland L. Jones’s Ron) in the present. She is hilarious when she goes off on Shaft in a bathroom mirror, unaware to one of the other ladies.

Clifford said, “Roundtree comes into play in the film's third act, his cool more deadpan than Jackson's.” The final fight takes place in a glass walled Manhattan penthouse, the better for comedic mistakes flying in and dramatic deaths on the way out. Clifford mentioned, “By film's end, JJ has ditched his 'badminton sneakers,' striding down the street with dad and granddad all wearing matching black turtlenecks and rust colored leather dusters.” Let’s see if there will be another “Shaft” sequel and it doesn’t come out 19 years later.

In the end, I like the comedy in this movie and thought it was thoroughly enjoying, but I didn’t like the whole racial issues in the movie, especially the Islamophobia. This sort of racial labeling, especially when it comes to Islamophobia, needs to be expunged, if there is a way to do that. Besides that, I still think this is a worthy sequel that people should see in the theaters, if it’s still playing in one near you. Check it out and see for yourself. Don’t listen to the critics, who are bashing on this movie, judge it for yourself.

Thank you for joining in on today’s review, stay tuned this Friday for the continuation of “Jack Ryan Month.”

Shaft (2000)

Time for the finale of “Shaft Month” with the last sequel in this series, “Shaft,” released in 2000. Let’s see…JohnR. McEwen said in his review, “Nope — there's nothing in Isaac Hayes's song about a believable plot, so I guess Shaft does its job.” Samuel L. Jackson is as fascinating as anyone would want, John Singleton’s directing is action-packed and full of New York atmosphere, and the music is extremely street-cool. Also the people, even those other than the famous title character, are interesting and varied, featuring excellent performances by co-villains Christian Bale and Jeffrey Wright.

However, the movie suffers from some fundamental slides in the story department, and while this is not a fatal flaw, it certainly brings the old credibility rating down a few points. McEwen guesses, “Perhaps the problem stems from having too many cooks in the kitchen during the writing process.” The screenplay is by Richard Price, adapted from a story by himself, director Singleton, and Shane Salerno, based upon the 1971 novel by Ernest Tidyman, who won an Oscar for “The French Connection” that same year. McEwen says, “But I doubt that Tidyman's novel included the part about John Shaft quitting the force and then being allowed to pursue his case without having to obey the law. It seems unlikely.”

After the racially motivated murder of a black man, killer Walter Wade, played by Bale, leaves the country before he can be prosecuted. He is apparently able to do this because his father, played by Philip Bosco, is a wealthy, influential politician. However, the ever-vigilant Shaft catches him the moment he tries to re-enter the country (two years later) and throws him in jail. While serving his time, Wade meets Peoples Hernandez, played by Wright, a local drug lord whom Shaft had previously thrown in prison for carrying an ice pick with no ice. McEwen mentioned, “I think it's called "possession of ice paraphernalia."” Although Wade has already clearly shown his hatred for certain racial groups, he and the Hispanic Hernandez become friends, and he asks Peoples to grow his business to contract killing. You see, there was one eyewitness to the murder, a waitress named Diane, played by Toni Collette, who Shaft had been avoiding for two years, and although she is restrained to testify, Wade knows she’ll be even better at being quiet if she’s dead.

Soon Wade is on the street again, so Shaft turns in his badge in order to more professionally break the law. Soon, he is engaging in one gunfight after another, aided by his friend Rasaan (rapper Busta Rhymes), and his ex-partner Carmen (Vanessa L. Williams), who is still a cop but is willing to risk her career to join in the lawbreaking. While attempting to rescue Diane from her overprotective family (Richard Cocchiaro, Ron Castellano and Angela Pietropinto) and draw her into the career of gunfight, they are exchanging fire with Peoples, his goons, and some cops who turned goon when they found the money was better. So you’ve got the standard cops/goons conflict. The question is, now that Shaft turned in his badge, is he a cop or a goon? McEwen says, “Whatever he is, he's also an excellent marksman, because he repeatedly kills the bad guys with one shot fired around corners, without ever even being nicked by the constant hail of lead raining down on him from all directions.”

Without all the problems of the plot, “Shaft” allows Jackson, Bale and Wright the chance to display their talent, not to mention Collette, who was nominated for an Oscar the previous year for the best supporting actress in “The Sixth Sense.” Also there is a cameo by the original Shaft, Richard Roundtree himself.

Definitely check this movie out because, as I stated last week, it’s the best of all the sequels. You will absolutely love this film, just like how you fell in love with the first movie.

Thanks online readers for joining in on “Shaft Month.” I hope all of you enjoyed it and hopefully I gave a good recommendation to everyone in saying to check out this series. Check in next month to see what I will review next. See you then.

Shaft in Africa

The Shaft series goes global with a weak storyline, no excitement and one-dimensional characters.

Detective John Shaft is hired by foreign diplomat Emir Ramila, played by Cy Grant, to help catch a gang that is illegally supplying Africans for tedious labor and not enough wages in Europe. Shaft does some training in local languages and customs before disguising as a native to trap the recruiters. However, Ramila’s minion Wassa, played by Debebe Eshetu, is a double-agent and the criminals know Shaft’s identity from the beginning. After several attempts on his life, Shaft kills Wassa while escorting a group of Africans to a crowded residence in France. When he slips off to give Ramila his report, gangsters burn the residence and kidnap one of the Africans. Shaft follows several leaders to find out that Vincent Amafi, played by Frank Finlay, the leader of the criminals, has a number of Africans imprisoned in the dungeons beneath a cellar formerly used as a Gestapo prison, which he intends to blow up. In the end, the Africans escape and kill Amafi and Shaft blows up the empty cellar.

The conclusion of “Shaft in America,” released in 1973, has a badly written finale to a badly written film, with Shaft an entirely unnecessary character, present just to provide the postscript. Actually, there’s not a moment’s suspense or a single original twist in the entire film. From the beginning, we know who the bad guys are, who the traitor is and the fact that Shaft’s cover is blown. TV Guide mentions in their review, “None of this affects his plodding along with his original mission anyway, moving from chase to gunfight in as formulaic a manner as possible.” The basic concept is of course entirely ridiculous, with the terminally stylish Shaft passing as a native. He says as much to his employers, but they insist he can learn all the needs in no time, and he does. Following a scene of Shaft’s fighting naked early in the film, the by-now necessary example of his attractive expertise are squeezed into the plot in so many ludicrous ways. Amafi’s girlfriend, played by Neda Arneric, is described by TV Guide as “a nymphomaniac who shows up on board the ship ferrying the Africans to Europe. Marveling at the heft of Shaft, she lures him into bed for what she later declares to be the best lovemaking of her life, afterward naturally helping him to escape--and dying as a result.” Ramila’s daughter, Aleme, played by Vonetta McGee, resists Shaft’s charms in America, then shows up out of nowhere on the African plain to sleep with him then disappears again, after saying that because of him, she is going to forego the traditional female circumcision of her tribe.

Never exciting, the film at least keeps up a decent pace and avoids getting boring, with the location filming providing a nice diversion. The equivalent between low wages and slave labor is a bit of a stretch, but the script’s heart would appear to be in the right place, even if Shaft’s is suspect.

TV Guide mentions, “Despite his humanitarianism in the previous film, he takes this job purely for the money, not for any moral reasons, showing little interest in the plight of the Africans--but becomes incensed and springs into action when one of the bad guys kills a dog.” Logic is completely absent, from the very first scenes of Shaft keeping his car parked in Manhattan’s Central Park straight through to his being given a secret spy camera that he keeps inside the stick he’s continually hitting people with.

Writer Stirling Silliphant has been involved with the “Shaft” series since the beginning. His production company was the one who made the first film. TV Guide mentioned, “A former executive in advertising and promotions at Disney and Fox, he had scripted or co-scripted numerous notable book adaptations (NIGHTFALL, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT) as well as working in television on "Naked City" and "Route 66." The year before SHAFT'S BIG SCORE, he adapted the novel THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972) into a blockbuster film; the year after, he did the same with THE TOWERING INFERNO (1974) for SHAFT'S BIG SCORE director John Guillermin.” Guillermin’s future would be even bigger disasters like the “King Kong” films, while Shaft moved to television for a short-lived before coming to a halt.

I would say that if you get the chance to pass this one up, do so. A couple of times, this movie put me to sleep that I had to rewind the parts that I missed. I even had to stop the movie for a while and take a nap because I was that annoyed with the movie. This movie is solely responsible in almost ending the character’s career until so many years later when another sequel came out that was actually the best of the sequels. If you want to know how much better, then check in for next Friday when I end “Shaft Month” off with that review. Now I have to recover since I really had a lot of work this week with the Star Wars movies. Before I burn myself completely out, I need a much deserved week rest.

Shaft's Big Score!

Welcome back to “Shaft Month,” where we will talk about the sequel to the first movie, “Shaft’s Big Score,” released in 1972.

The creation of a movie superhero is quite a laborious work. You’re not simply making an action movie. You’re making a mythical character who has to be strong enough to survive maybe a half a dozen sequels. That was precisely the case in the first movie, the incredibly successful movie about a black private eye. The movie was made on a limited budget and there were a lot of tough edges, but John Shaft made enough imaginations to take a million dollars out of the Roosevelt Theater alone in the first movie.

Roger Ebert described Shaft as “a cross between James Bond and Philip Marlowe. He didn't use Bond's science-fiction gadgets, however, and he didn't prowl the seamy underworld of life like Marlowe.” He lived in a comfortable Greenwich Village home and wore expensive leathers and moved with supercool confidence in a city of cops and robbers and the mob.

Now this cool cat returns in “Shaft’s Big Score,” a title that Ebert says, “May be a little modest.” Not only does Shaft end up with a quarter of a million dollars – he starts out with an interesting song or two. He does so well, in fact, that he doesn’t even operate out of his office anymore. He takes calls from clients while he’s in bed. They barely even wake him up.

The story this time has to do with a battle for control of the numbers game in Harlem. There is a good numbers boss who wants to use his profits to build a child-care clinic, and a bad numbers boss who shoves him away. Then there’s the white Mafioso who wants to squeeze into the action. And there’s Shaft, somewhere in the middle, invincible and crafty.

“Shaft’s Big Score” was made on a larger budget than the first movie, and that definitely shows. Ebert notes, “This time director Gordon Parks uses Panavision, surrounds his hero with a talented cast, and pours on the special effects.” The movie ends, for instance, in an incredible land-sea-air chasing including a helicopter, a speedboat, and a shoot-out in the old Brooklyn Navy Yard.

With talented actors from “Shaft” like Moses Gunn back in the sequel (he reprises the role of Bumpy again), and the movie’s most demanding dramatic performance is by Wally Taylor, a former Chicagoan who plays the bad numbers operator. He ends up in the last grave he ever expected to live in. Taylor may even have more dialog in the movie than Richard Roundtree has, which is not surprising since John Shaft is a laconic man of a few words and a great deal of action.

Ebert admitted, “The movie is intended as mass-audience escapist entertainment, and works on that level better than "Shaft" did.” There is also less attracting of white characters this time, and more humor. A lot of scenes are funny, and one scene, involving an elevator and a little old lady, gets so much laughter you can’t hear the movie for five minutes. Ebert concluded, “I cannot describe the dialog in this scene in a family newspaper (maybe not even an adults-only newspaper) but my guess is that within a few weeks, it will have become one of the most famous one-liners in movie history.”

In the end, I am on Ebert's side and actually liked this movie. Everyone else hated it, which I don’t know why, but I think that it’s definitely good. Maybe because it was more humorous, but I think it’s good in its own way. I still like the first one better, but I think that people should give this sequel a chance. Watch it, and see for yourself. If you end up not liking it, I won’t force you to like it, but I do say to at least give the movie a chance.

Stay tuned next week for the movie that quite possibly could have ended Shaft’s career in the movies.

Shaft (1971)

Now the time has come to talk about the Shaft movies. Let’s get started this month with the 1971 movie, “Shaft.” Nearly every frame of “Shaft” is aimed at doing one thing: establishing its protagonist – private detective John Shaft – as a powerful, independent, naturally good yet still mischievous man in complete control of his own destiny. How does it differ from the countless other heroes who came before? Well, Shaft is black and this is 1971.

Josh Larsen stated in his review, “A launching point for the blaxploitation era, Shaft literally worships its central figure (played with an easy smile and an easier scowl by Richard Roundtree).” Isaac Hayes’ Oscar-winning title song sings Shaft’s praises during the opening credits. When he walks across six lanes of New York City traffic, the cars give him the right of way. The first love scene barely notices the woman Shaft’s with: it’s Shaft who poses bare on the couch. It’s Shaft’s (much darker) skin that the camera remains on. It’s a framed photo of Shaft that the camera drifts toward as the couple goes and does his business.

This hero worship introduces even the smallest moments. Take a look at an early scene where Shaft is having his shoes shined. Director Gordon Parks angles his camera so that it’s looking up from below, in respect, as if Shaft were sitting on his throne. Larsen says, “When he gets up to leave, the camera eagerly rises with him in the manner of a nervous bow. Long live the king.”

You could blame the movie of protesting too much if you didn’t take into account the time period which the film was released. Having a black man as the hero of a major studio release was one thing. Giving him this much arrogance was quite another. Larsen admits, “Shaft‘s brilliance is in the way its title figure’s confidence became contagious – both in the urban theaters where it was a hit and the dozens of blaxploitation films that would follow (to say nothing of the work of Quentin Tarantino). I am Shaft, a new voice in cinema announced, hear me roar.”

Outside of this electric shock of independence, the movie follows a fairly conventional noir plot. Shaft is hired by local mob boss Bumpy Jonas (Moses Gunn) to find Bumpy’s kidnapped daughter (Sherri Brewer) – though not until Shaft has made it clear that he despises everything Bumpy stands for (he throws one of Bumpy’s men out the window to get the message across). Similarly, the case brings him in contact with a Black Panther-like rebellious group that he also taunts at. Shaft serves no cause but his own.

Even so, he ultimately becomes a uniting force, bringing both of these sections together to face a new enemy threatening the neighborhood: the Italian mafia. This is where the movie’s enlightenment ends, as well as it offensive headiness. The final third follows a well-worn action pattern, with Shaft, of course, taking the lead.

Still, the movie lingers, especially in its influence. The film’s final shot is of Shaft walking alone down the street, suggesting a bookend of sorts with the walk he took over the opening credits. Larsen mentioned, “On that earlier stroll, he passes movie marquees boasting names like Robert Redford and Dean Martin.” Shaft walks right on by, leaving such square stars behind. He’s taking us into a whole new period.

This is definitely one of the movies you have to see, it's one of the best. If you haven’t seen this movie, you are missing out. Check it out when you get the chance because you will love it. I highly recommend you watch “Shaft.” Stay tuned next week for the first sequel in “Shaft month.”