Shaft

Rating:
Summary: damn sam,what went wrong?
Review: i didnt think it would be possible for me to give a film starring mr jackson such a horrible rating.but he left me no choice.i wont get on a technical rant but a more simplistic bashing of this mess.it was just corny.the cops are helpless goofs,the women are non existant(talent wise),theres a rapper in it(that killed it automatically!),the director was asleep at the wheel on this,and was there even a plot worth mentioning(i hope it wasnt the'find the eyewitness who saw it all'plot!).the only good thing about this was the lead bad guy.im sure this movie will get great reviews but trust me,RENT THIS 1ST(IF YOU MUST SEE IT AT ALL)THEN WASTE YOUR MONEY ANYWAY YOU SEE FIT.

Rating:
Summary: The song should NOT remain the same...
Review: The line from Issac Hayes's original theme song goes, "Who's the black private dick who's a sex machine to all the chicks?" Well in this updated version, the answer is not "Shaft". This John Shaft is not a private investigator, instead he is a member of the NYC police force. Instead of being an "anti-establishment" outsider, he is now working for the "Man". The new Shaft isn't that much of a ladies man either, and although he apparently does possesses the unspecified "LD", his amorous activities are limited to innuendo. Times have changed.

Shaft 2000, is another movie that takes the name, and uses only trace elements of the original concept, to then create something that is pretty far removed from the original. How much this matters, probably depends how much you enjoyed the original. If the script was rewritten a bit, and the character Shaft renamed, this movie could still have been made under some other title. The story is not proprietary to the character.

Samuel L. Jackson easily slides into the role of the redefined character, and delivers a typically solid performance. As a cop, Jackson's Shaft is tough, cool, and for the most part, believable. The character only occasionally strays into the "cartoon zone", even when the violence gets out of hand.

The central plot line, revolving around bringing a racist killer to justice, would run out of steam if a subplot involving a drug dealer were not introduced. The drug angle, increases the level of action and violence. The use of profanity is excessive and pervasive. Like the original, race figures prominently in the story. The ending may satisfy some, and dismay others, but that was the intention. This film is elevated to slightly above average, only by Jackson's presence.

Homage is paid to the original Shaft, as Richard Roundtree makes a token appearance as John Shaft's uncle. Actually, Roundtree is only six years older than Jackson is. Billed second, Vanessa Williams is wasted in a rather limited role as a fellow police officer.

Ultimately, Jackson's triumph as Shaft may not be so much as cop over criminal, but in his ability to maintain some integrity in the character. Sequel? Can you dig it?

Rating:
Summary: Shafted.
Review: 2000 remake of the original 1971 blaxploitation film that disappoints on nearly every level despite the talent involved. Samuel L. Jackson is nearly on autopilot as the NYC cop who nails a snooty racist (Christian Bale, back in "American Psycho" mode) for murdering a young Black man (Mekhi Phifer). The film is really a generic vigilante crime drama, with little surprises and countless stereotypes; the most obvious of which is Jeffrey Wright's performance as a Dominican drug dealer. Director John Singleton, who, quite frankly, hasn't done a good movie since 1991's "Boyz N the Hood," has cheated the audience by releasing this shoddily-made film. The only good thing about this film is that the Isaac Hayes theme song has been re-recorded almost exactly as is, without any modern touches. Otherwise, you owe it to yourself to buy the 1971 original instead.

Rating:
Summary: Too much white vs. black
Review: Although the movie doesn't hurl its slickness at the viewer and we're graced with a wonderful Samuel Jackson and a cast that is amazing, I was disappointed to see the old worn out cliché of the evil spoiled rich kid. It's clear that Singleton tried to balance the fine line between the good guys and the bad guys but it seems he didn't quite pull it off.
Another thing that bugs me; Jackson as Shaft should have played up much more his sexiness and strut the way Richard Roundtree did so flawlessly before him, watching this we had the impression that Samuel thinks he's out of his league so he didn't want to embarass himself, but he certainly should have because he's got the goods.
Plus I want a cool leather jacket just like the one he wore, anyone know where I can get one???

Rating:
Summary: A fun action movie
Review: I loved this movie. But this is not a remake of the original Shaft. Its not even quite the same character. This Shaft is more angry and driven then the original. You dont get the vibe that this is a cool mother with a badge like the other Shaft. If you are a purist this might rub you the wrong way.

All that being said, I loved it. It is a great movie with good action, acting, and shoot out scenes.

Rating:
Summary: A nice shoot out and er........
Review: Samuel L Jackson's range consists of a mannered drawl which rises to an intimidating yell and basically stays there (i.e.'The Negotiator'). He's been getting away with it for years.
Love the bit where he is told about a white man's brutal assault on an innocent black man and a look of self righteous disgust crosses his face and clearly Singleton expects us to feel the same. Black on black violence is condoned however, and is executed with glee. Preposterously, Shaft shoots no end of people dead in broad daylight without any sanction whatsover.

How about a more radical approach, like a white Shaft? Christian Bale looks sharp. A white Shaft who shoots other white people and looks digusted as a black man shoots an innocent white. Do you think the execs would have gone for it? Christain Bale looks so uncannily like James Brolin they could call it 'Crapandcorn One'.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely NOT a remake
Review: This was one of the most refreshing approaches to a resurrection of a character that I've seen. Borrowing a concept seen in such films as Maverick with Mel Gibson and James Garner, Richard Roundtree (the original Shaft from the 70s) has a predominant role as John Shaft's (Samuel L. Jackson) uncle, private detective John Shaft. His character doesn't seem to have much more importance in the film than to establish this film's link to the original (Jackson doesn't play Roundtree's original John Shaft in a remake, but instead plays the nephew and namesake of Roundtree's character in an homage to the first original). To someone who may have lived in a cave and not realized that Richard Roundtree's private detective is where it all began, Roundtree's scenes may seem odd since they don't much otherwise contribute to the storyline. But I think by establishing that relationship to the original character, it freed Samuel L. Jackson and director John Singleton to take a few liberties in their update of Shaft without incurring the wrath of hardcore fans crying, "The REAL John Shaft (Richard Roundtree) would never do it that way").

I do agree with some reviewers on here that the storyline is ultra-simple and dirivative. Shaft goes on a rampage, throwing away his job with the NYPD, to pursue a rich racist guilty of one murder. Comparative to the maniacal killers on muderous rampages in a lot of today's films, this one rich white boy seems to get an inordinate amount of Shaft's attention for driving this movie.

But I give this film five stars because it delivers on the fronts that really matter. The butt-kicking action is attention getting, and Sam Jackson delivers nothing but smoothness even when he's delivering a whoopin on some punk who was begging for it. Frankly, I've not seen Samuel L. Jackson in a role more suited for him, and I have never seen him pull in a bad performace. Vanessa Williams, in all her Miss America glamour and prissyness, also pulls off a believable performance as a gritty, tough cop. Personally, I've always envisioned this woman playing roles where more emphasis is put on making sure her wardrobe and makeup are just so; she was effective in role contrary to her glamorous image. The bad guys are also good, with an uneasy aliance between them that you can believe.

It's a good movie. John Singleton should be proud

Rating:
Summary: Great...
Review: I enjoyed this version of Shaft. I enjoy watching Sam Jackson, I believe he is a great actor, and will add enjoyment and entertainment to any film. Compared to the first Shaft, personally, I don't think you can compare this to the 1st Shaft with Richard Roundtree. That Shaft is in a catagory of it's own. As far as a follow-up is concern, you might want to catagorize this a the follow-up to the original Shaft. All in all, the actors (all) were great and I did enjoy the movie.

Rating:
Summary: Bring back Mr. Roundtree
Review: Yawn. I actually fell asleep watching this one. Utterly predictable, ho-hum action....

Rating:
Summary: I can dig it!!!!!!!
Review: I like "Shaft". I guess it's because I am one of the biggest Sam Jackson fans in the world. I loved this movie because not only was it portrayed by a phenomenal actor,it had a good plot, and a excellent soundtrack.