Shaft (1971)
Genre: Action / Crime
Duration: 100 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Gordon Parks
Stars: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn and Charles Cioffi
IMDb score:
6,6 (23.402)
Releasedate: 25 June 1971
Shaft plot
"The mob wanted Harlem back. They got shaft...up to here."
John Shaft is a tough private detective who comes into contact with legendary mobster Bumpy Jonas, the leader of a notorious gang. He then gets into a fight with another group of black criminals. But in the end he has to work with these two groups when it turns out that Bumpy's daughter has been kidnapped by the mafia. Shaft will do anything to get Bumpy's daughter back.
Actors and actresses
John Shaft
Bumpy Jonas
Vic Androzzi
Ben Buford
Ellie Moore
Sergeant Tom Hannon
Charlie
Marcy
Rollie
Dina Greene
Reviews & comments
Woland
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- 4899 messages
- 3925 votes
hmm. For the trash challenge this is the film with the biggest name I would say, also no less than 7 official ICM lists. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a stinker of a movie. Sure, the film is known for the music of Isaac Hayes, among other things, and that part still stands rock solid. But other than that it was pretty poor. The biggest problem is that Shaft is a complete no-brainer of a story, with a cast that doesn't do much (and no, Richard Roundtree certainly doesn't) and that doesn't do anything for me either in terms of atmosphere or coolness. Shaft must be a tough, tough guy, but Roundtree plays very fake and I was particularly annoyed by his stupid jokes and one-liners after which only he himself burst into a Tommy Wiseau-esque chuckle. His casanova skills are also particularly apparent from the fact that occasionally out of the blue they switch to a scene in bed. There are still a few decent action scenes, but Shaft unfortunately doesn't live up to its reputation.
Translated from Dutch · View original
scorsese
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- 13671 messages
- 11438 votes
Good film in which a private detective has to find the kidnapped daughter of a gangster. The plot of this early blaxploitation movie isn't all that great and it also takes a while to get going. But a beautiful image of the time because of the location work, the slang and not least because of the atmospheric soundtrack by Isaac Hayes. Worth 3.5 stars in the review.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Filmkriebel
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- 10326 messages
- 4837 votes
Compared to the Shaft movie with Samuel Jackson (2*), this one is much better. Not a blaxploitation film that has a more famous soundtrack (Isaac Hayes). I recently heard it in my pub. John Shaft is also well designed; a quirky figure who charts his own course and solves cases through his extensive network on the street. His boss Vic secretly trusts his methods even though he gets nothing from him. Both respect each other. He has a steady girlfriend but a white cat in between is also allowed. The kidnapping story is fairly standard: the daughter of a local black pimp is kidnapped. The man promises a lot of money to get her back. For me one of the best in its genre, especially because of the slow tempo and well-constructed scenes. I really liked this one in the bar with that phone conversation with his boss with those two Mafia guys. Very entertaining movie...
Translated from Dutch · View original
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