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Shaft

Critics Consensus

Decades removed from the original, this multi-generational Shaft struggles to keep its characters interesting -- or anything other than uncomfortably outdated.

32%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 124

94%

Audience Score

Verified Ratings: 7,727

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Shaft Videos

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Shaft Photos

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Movie Info

"Shaft" is the next chapter in the film franchise featuring the coolest private eye on any New York City block. JJ, aka John Shaft Jr. (Usher), may be a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, but to uncover the truth behind his best friend's untimely death, he needs an education only his dad can provide. Absent throughout JJ's youth, the legendary locked-and-loaded John Shaft (Jackson) agrees to help his progeny navigate Harlem's heroin-infested underbelly. And while JJ's own FBI analyst's badge may clash with his dad's trademark leather coat, there's no denying family. Besides, Shaft's got an agenda of his own, and a score to settle that's professional and personal.
  • Rating:
    R (for pervasive language, violence, sexual content, some drug material and brief nudity)
  • Genre:
    Action & Adventure, Comedy
  • Directed By:
    Tim Story
  • Written By:
    Kenya Barris, Alex Barnow
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    New Line Cinema

Cast

Samuel L. Jackson
as John Shaft
Jessie T. Usher
as JJ Shaft
Regina Hall
as Maya Babanikos
Alexandra Shipp
as Sasha Arias
Matt Lauria
as Major Gary Cutworth
Titus Welliver
as Special Agent Vietti
Method Man
as Freddy P
Richard Roundtree
as John Shaft, Sr.
Avan Jogia
as Karim Hassan
Luna Lauren Vélez
as Bennie Rodriguez
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News & Interviews for Shaft

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Critic Reviews for Shaft

All Critics (124) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (40) | Rotten (84)

View All Critic Reviews (124)

Audience Reviews for Shaft

  • Jan 11, 2020
    A lazy attempt to reboot/revive the franchise, Shaft is a crude action-comedy with no imagination. When FBI analyst John Shaft Jr. investigates the death of a friend he's forced to seek out the help of his estranged father. Jackson does a real disservice to his character (who he reprises from the 2000 version) by turning him into a negative stereotype (the womanizing deadbeat dad). And, there's some reconning to try to bring all the Shaft films into continuity. The film also attempts to explore masculinity and what it means to be a man today as opposed to in previous generations; but it does an incredibly poor job of it and ends up being a jumbled mess. The plot too is kind of convoluted and is full of clichés. A cat that definitely doesn't deliver 10 times out of 10, Shaft is a jive turkey.
    Dann M Super Reviewer
  • Jun 17, 2019
    The 2019 incarnation of Shaft bridges the gap between generations of this blaxploitation saga. The film has its obvious plot holes and weary narrative but it's ultimately a fun and entertaining entry with Samuel L. Jackson being Samuel L. Jackson: a bad mutha- SHUT YO MOUTH! 3.5/5
    Eugene B Super Reviewer
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Shaft Quotes

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