Shaft

Rating:
Summary: i can dig this
Review: Long before Samuel Jackson reprised the role of that bad motherf--shut your mouth-- but I'm talking about Shaft. Not the remak, but the original. The first. I'm talking 1971, when Shaft burst onto the scene. I'm not sure if Shaft falls into the Blaxplotation category, but Richard Roundtree plays a strong and positive (if a rather dark and morally ambiguous character) role. Shaft isn't weak, nor his he going to be pushed around by the Man. And at the same time Shaft doesn't go militant. And Shaft has a great relationship with the local police. He's sarcastic, witty, and intelligent. Roundtree plays Shaft so that everyone wants to be him, black or white. The movie starts with a simple plot, Shaft is hired to get back the local black crime boss's daughter, who has been kidnapped. The plot does a few twists and turns from there, and ends with a great gunfight/rescue scene. And there is Isaac Hayes' great score, and that memorable theme song.

The dvd has both widescreen and full screen format (I advise the wide screen). There aren't much in the way of extras. There are the trailors for the three Shaft movies and a brief bio of Richard Roundtree. There's also a 10 minute 'filming of' documentary called "Soul in Cinema: Filming Shaft on Location." It doesn't really tell you much or add anything to the viewing of the film, but it doesn't hurt, and it is somewhat interesting. You can also watch the film dubbed over in French (heh heh), and forget putting in English subtitles, the experience of 'French Shaft' is worth going by itself.

To finish, two words for you: John Shaft.

Rating:
Summary: Best of the genre
Review: My Bride acquired this movie based in part on the hype surrounding the release of the re-make this weekend, and we watched it to get ready. I was surprised to see that it held up so well.

Unlike so any other so-called Blaxploitation films, this film has not become a laughable anachronism, dated after thirty years. The story line, about a private detective conned into working for a mob boss, is not quite as laughable as a few other reviewers suggested.

More important to me is the context and the time this film was released. It was the first movie I ever saw with a Black man as the protagonist who stood up to police and everyone else, demanding and receiving respect. No shuffling, but rather he moved confidently through a host of situations. Unlike many others of the genre, he was not only self assured, but was not a pimp or drug dealer. No big deal for thos who could identify with James Bond, Peter Gunn or Simon Templar, but it sure was a seminal event in the life of this then-sixteen year old.

Still worth seeing, and the as for the soundtrack, check out the review of that, too.

Rating:
Summary: Decent (not great) presentation of drive-in classic
Review: Of course, if you're reading this, you probably already know that "Shaft" is an above-average blaxploitation flick with Richard Roundree as a private detective hired to track down a Harlem gang boss' missing daughter. With dialogue like "You got problems, Shaft?" "Yeah, two of 'em. I was born black and I was born poor." you really can't lose.

So on with the DVD. The film itself is nicely letterboxed (I think for the first time), and while it's not made from the greatest print (there are a couple scratches), it's a perfectly acceptable presentation.

Extras include trailers for all three Shaft flicks . This is great--I wish Warner had done the same with their "Dirty Harry" DVD. (They did with the VHS version.) There's also a 1971-produced short "Making of" film and the option to view the movie in French (a surreal experience, to be sure.)

The cast and crew bios, however, are pretty meager, offering only a relatively complete portrait of Richard Roundtree. Where's Moses Gunn? Or Gordon Parks? The "Awards" option is pretty worthless as well, showing that the movie won the Oscar for "Best Original Song."

Oh, yes, and there's no commentary track with Director Parks as is described on the Amazon site. Forgivably, it's not mentioned on the DVD box, so this is probably just something that didn't pan out at the last minute.

It's still lots of fun, but not what it could have been.

Rating:
Summary: Decent (not great) presentation of drive-in classic
Review: Of course, if you're reading this, you probably already know that "Shaft" is an above-average blaxploitation flick with Richard Roundree as a private detective hired to track down a Harlem gang boss' missing daughter. With dialogue like "You got problems, Shaft?" "Yeah, two of 'em. I was born black and I was born poor." you really can't lose.

So on with the DVD. The film itself is nicely letterboxed (I think for the first time), and while it's not made from the greatest print (there are a couple scratches), it's a perfectly acceptable presentation.

Extras include trailers for all three Shaft flicks . This is great--I wish Warner had done the same with their "Dirty Harry" DVD. (They did with the VHS version.) There's also a 1971-produced short "Making of" film and the option to view the movie in French (a surreal experience, to be sure.)

The cast and crew bios, however, are pretty meager, offering only a relatively complete portrait of Richard Roundtree. Where's Moses Gunn? Or Gordon Parks? The "Awards" option is pretty worthless as well, showing that the movie won the Oscar for "Best Original Song."

Oh, yes, and there's no commentary track with Director Parks as is described on the Amazon site. Forgivably, it's not mentioned on the DVD box, so this is probably just something that didn't pan out at the last minute.

It's still lots of fun, but not what it could have been.

Rating:
Summary: a classic
Review: one of the first black action heroes.very timely and a classic soundtrack by issac hayes.the film is still solid after all of these years.it's a must see.

Rating:
Summary: Richard Roundtree Is John Shaft (Look How He Poses) !!!
Review: Owing to the box-office success of the updated "Shaft" released in 2000, the original version started to attract interests of fans of younger generation who didn't know the 70s with firsthand knowledge. It's a good thing, but remember, with all respect to Samuel L Jackson, John Shaft is Richard Roundtree. Look at him, and you know what I mean.

Singleton's "Shaft" lacks the essential part without which watching John Shaft is meaningless; that is, his sexiness. Roundtree's "Shaft" offers nothing special in term of story; it's just another detective story seen in Bogart's films. But MGM, a major studio, made him the ultimate sexy guy so that he makes love twice in a film, not only with a black girl but with a white. Of course, this may be simply one of the studio's tactics to cash in on the growing power of Afro-Americans at that time, but still no one can deny Roundtree's presence. The executives' decision was right, after all.

Add to his charisma, for the modern viewers, we can enjoy the ideosyncrasy of the 70s fashion in everything; the way they wear clothes (look at Shaft's leather coat), the way they talk (White detective says to Shaft: "What you got? Shaft replies: "I got laid."), and the soulful sountrack of Isaac Hayes -- everything is shining. Like hit songs of many 70s rock bands, it's showy and corny, but unbelievably irresistible. Enjoy it.

Director Gordon Parks (who briefly appears in the film) is the father of Gordon Parks Jr., who directed "Superfly," another memorable film of the genre, featuring Curtis Mayfield's wonderful music. And if you're interested in those "blaxploitaion films," you might want to see "Coffy" played by goddess of the genre, Pam Grier, and this film is famous for its Roy Ayers soundtrack. Listen.

Rating:
Summary: Richard Roundtree Is John Shaft (Look How He Poses) !!!
Review: Owing to the box-office success of the updated "Shaft" released in 2000, the original version started to attract interests of fans of younger generation who didn't know the 70s with firsthand knowledge. It's a good thing, but remember, with all respect to Samuel L Jackson, John Shaft is Richard Roundtree. Look at him, and you know what I mean.

Singleton's "Shaft" lacks the essential part without which watching John Shaft is meaningless; that is, his sexiness. Roundtree's "Shaft" offers nothing special in term of story; it's just another detective story seen in Bogart's films. But MGM, a major studio, made him the ultimate sexy guy so that he makes love twice in a film, not only with a black girl but with a white. Of course, this may be simply one of the studio's tactics to cash in on the growing power of Afro-Americans at that time, but still no one can deny Roundtree's presence. The executives' decision was right, after all.

Add to his charisma, for the modern viewers, we can enjoy the ideosyncrasy of the 70s fashion in everything; the way they wear clothes (look at Shaft's leather coat), the way they talk (White detective says to Shaft: "What you got? Shaft replies: "I got laid."), and the soulful sountrack of Isaac Hayes -- everything is shining. Like hit songs of many 70s rock bands, it's showy and corny, but unbelievably irresistible. Enjoy it.

Director Gordon Parks (who briefly appears in the film) is the father of Gordon Parks Jr., who directed "Superfly," another memorable film of the genre, featuring Curtis Mayfield's wonderful music. And if you're interested in those "blaxploitaion films," you might want to see "Coffy" played by goddess of the genre, Pam Grier, and this film is famous for its Roy Ayers soundtrack. Listen.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST OF THE BLAXPLOITATION FILMS
Review: PERHAPS THE BEST BLAXPLOITATION FILM OF THEM ALL. JOHN SHAFT [RICHARD ROUNDTREE] IS HIRED TO INVESTIGATE THE KIDNAPPING OF A GANG LORD'S DAUGHTER. VERY INTERESTING MOVIE WIH LOTS OF GREAT MUSIC. THE FILM ALSO HAS A SHARP SENSE OF HUMOR. FOR A FUN TIME, CHECK OUT THIS CLASSIC 1971 ACTIONER. ISSAC HAYES WON AN OSCAR FOR THE SHAFT THEME SONG. FOLLOWED BY TWO SEQUELS, A TV SERIES, AND WAS REMADE [SORT OF] IN 2000.

Rating:
Summary: 5 star film, but not a "Criterion Collection" DVD transfer
Review: Shaft is a great 5-star movie, both on its own terms as well as a cultural landmark for the early seventies. The DVD delivery does have a barebones feel (read the other reviews here), but the notable disappointment is the sound quality. Shaft could have used a "Criterion Collection" restoration. The Roundtree dialog overdubs, obvious on the VHS, are even more obvious on DVD. I was hoping for more, especially how the DVD's release coincided with the Shaft Y2K release. Gordon Parks' great photography holds up well, and the letterbox version is nice to see.

A "Best Soundtrack" Oscar winner deserves better sonic treatment. As Drew Bundini Brown might have said, "That's some cold #%@^ throwing the soundtrack out the window."

Rating:
Summary: Shaft is one bad Mo-Fo.....Can you dig it baby?
Review: Shaft is by far the best of the 70's black "Pimpin bad dude" type films. John Shaft is one bad Mo-Fo, he gets the girls, the money, and always gets away from the law. Besides, who else has threads as fresh as Shaft! I would most definetly recommend this movie, especially to anyone who is a fan of the 70's. Lets hope that the remake rekindles some interest in all things "Shaft".