SHAFT has a great combination of ingredients that lead to a most satisfying movie. A combination of snappy lines and dialogue combined with the private eye mystery being well written. The movie shows some and tells even less. You never feel ahead or behind Shaft's investigation. There are gunfights where you don't see the gunman and it plays more like a suspense scene and it works. There are shootouts with the 1970s stylized violence that I love so much. The most fundamental thing that makes it great is Richard Roundtree in the title role. His acting is great both from the physical and emotional standpoint. You believe him as a tough guy, as an investigator, and as the lady's man. Isaac Hayes adds more greatness to the score with his vocals and the title song that perfectly encapsulates the main character.
Synopsis: 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.
The film starts with some great location shooting around New York City. Nothing beats the late 60s and early 70s New York look with the different lights and restaurant logos among other views. Isaac Hayes "Theme from Shaft" kicks in and we know how cool he is supposed to be. "Who's the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks? (SHAFT!) "You're damn right!" The bird's eye shots of Shaft cut back to the medium shots of his profile. Gordon Parks shows his penchant for direction in those shots. The breath you see coming from people's mouths indicates this is winter in New York City.
Richard Roundtree as John Shaft
Early on Shaft has a number of moments and lines to establish how cool he is. His cop friend Androzzi, (Charles Cioffi) and his assistant come up to talk to Shaft early on and they have a memorable exchange. "Where the hell are are you going Shaft?" "To get laid. Where the hell are you going?" Shaft shows his Detective skills early on where he notices one man in the building where his office is looking for him. He takes the other man up to the office where he engages two men in a fight, throwing one of them out the window to his death. Androzzi eventually interrogates him about this confrontation and they have a memorable exchange. Androzzi and him get into a debate about race where Androzzi holds up a black pen saying to Shaft "You ain't so black." Shaft then holds up a white coffee mug and says "you ain't so white either."
Eventually Shaft discovers that "Bumpy" Jonas (Moses Gunn), a Harlem crime boss, sent his men to Shaft's apartment for a meeting. Bumpy requests that Shaft find his daughter who has been kidnapped by rival Mafiosos in the city. What I like about this plot is that it shows the limitations of a big time gangster. Bumpy needs Shaft because his influence and his sway over cops he can buy doesn't extend out of Harlem. Shaft doesn't like the idea of working for a criminal but also gets payment out of it. Bumpy tells Shaft to find Ben Buford, a black militant leader.
What ensues throughout the rest of the movie is some great shootouts, mystery reveals and payoffs, and fist pump moments from Shaft. There is a great shootout when he tracks down Buford where no gunman is revealed, you just see bodies getting shot and blood squibs. Shaft and Buford's escape from a building is just as much suspense as it is action. Shaft eventually figures out Mafiosos are watching his apartment from a local bar. He disguises himself as a bartender and eventually busts open one of the men's heads with a bottle. That was a surprising moment that had the blood and violence aesthetic I love so much from 70s movies. Shaft uses the two men for information and sets up a meeting between him and the men who are holding Bumpy's daughter Marcy, hostage.
Spoiler Section
Shaft goes to a cafe where he has a memorable interaction with a waitress. He asks for an espresso and she asks if he wants a sandwich and he says no. She later comes back and asks if he wants her to bring him a lemon peel. Those little moments are moments that feel natural that makes me like this movie more. Shaft eventually finds Marcy but gets shot in the process of trying to save her. One of the kidnappers leaves Shaft alive and tells him to deliver a message to Bumpy: 24 hours to deliver or Marcy dies. Buford and company save Shaft and a doctor operates on him. Eventually Shaft and Buford's men find out where Marcy is being held and launch an attack on the building. What is great is how coordinated this attack is. Shaft repels down a window and breaks in while inside the building Buford and his men position themselves along the doors to take out the other men. all of them succeed in killing the Mafiosos and saving Marcy. One of them has a fire hose to hold off others, if that isn't poetic justice for the Civil Rights area I don't know what is.
There are many things I love from this movie but the combination of Richard Roundtree being a perfectly cool character with some pathos is a great foundation. The mystery being something you figure out as an audience with the character is great. The 70s aesthetic and filmmaking with the violence is great. It has some sociocultural commentary but it never feels over the top. In 1971 I imagine it was progressive to show a white woman being into Shaft, and more specifically showing they had sex on screen. I enjoyed seeing actors I've seen in other things. Cult movie legend Tony King and Blaxploitation mainstay Tony King being the big ones I've seen in other things.
Christopher St. John as Buford (Left) and Tony King as Davies (Middle)
Rating: 10/10
Trivia: Isaac Hayes was the first African-American to win the Academy Award for best original song. He also auditioned for the role of Shaft. Producers were impressed with him enough to hire him for the score.
Gun of the movie: Shaft carries two different Colt Detective Specials throughout the film. One that is nickel plated that he keeps in his fridge is my favorite.
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