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Shaft (1971)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 32
Fresh: 29
Rotten:3
Average Rating: 7.3/10
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: Following the breakout success of Melvin Van Peebles's SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG, Gordon Parks' SHAFT would officially launch the historic Blaxploitation movement. Based on the novel by... Following the breakout success of Melvin Van Peebles's SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG, Gordon Parks' SHAFT would officially launch the historic Blaxploitation movement. Based on the novel by Ernest Tidyman, the film stars Richard Roundtree as John Shaft, a debonair, tough-talking private detective, who became a full-fledged American archetype after the film was released. Combining street smarts and sharp wit, Shaft is the quintessential black action hero. After battling against Harlem gang kingpin Bumpy Jonas (Moses Gunn), Shaft decides to help rescue Bumpy's daughter from the Mafia. What follows is an action-packed thrill ride through the rough-and-tumble streets of early 1970s New York City. Featuring one of the most recognizable theme songs in movie history (for which Isaac Hayes' won a Best Song Oscar in 1972), Parks' follow-up to his critically acclaimed, though monetarily disappointing, drama THE LEARNING TREE remains the definitive Blaxploitation film. Roundtree delivers a legendary performance as the ultra-cool detective, in this groundbreaking film that would spawn two sequels (SHAFT'S BIG SCORE! and SHAFT IN AFRICA) and a big-budget remake in 2000. [More]
Starring: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Antonio Fargas
Starring: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Antonio Fargas, Christopher St. John, Gwenn Mitchell, Lawrence Pressman, Victor Arnold
Director: Gordon Parks
Director: Gordon Parks
Producer: Joel Freeman
Composer: Isaac Hayes
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Reviews for Shaft
With an ultra hip musical score by Isaac Hayes, "Shaft" is a muscular black action movie where Richard Roundtree is "hotter than Bond and cooler than Bullitt"
This was the second feature of the longtime still photographer Parks, in which he brought together talent for capturing an image and personal knowledge of life on the streets to create a hard-hitting action thriller.
Forty years of gumshoe noir collided with black power in this 1971 action classic, the most popular of the blaxploitation pictures.
Parks isn't especially good at action direction, but the heart of a private-eye movie is in the mood scenes, anyway, and he supplies a scene in a bar and another one with the Harlem rackets boss that are very nice.
Latest News for Shaft
March 13, 2008:
Top Ten Death Proof Exploitation Films: the films that wouldn’t die.
Exploitation films are B-grade gold for those who like it rough, sleazy and thrill-packed. More...
March 13, 2006:
Isaac Hayes Quits "South Park" Over Scientology Row
Renowned soul musician and actor Isaac Hayes, who memorably voiced the role of Chef on "South Park" since 1997, has pulled out of the irreverent satirical cartoon,... More...
March 08, 2006:
Gordon Parks, Influential Director And Photojournalist, Dead At 93
Gordon Parks, one of the 20th Century's greatest photojournalists and an influential filmmaker, died Tuesday at 93. Parks' films, most notably "The Learning Tree"... More...
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