Shaft

2019, Action/Comedy, 1h 51m

130 Reviews 5,000+ Verified Ratings

critics consensus

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this multi-generational Shaft struggles to keep its characters interesting -- or anything other than uncomfortably outdated.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

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Shaft Videos

Shaft: Trailer 1

Shaft: Sneak Peek

View All Videos (2)

Shaft Photos

JESSIE T. USHER as John "JJ" Shaft, REGINA HALL as Maya and SAMUEL L. JACKSON as John Shaft in "Shaft."

SAMUEL L. JACKSON as John Shaft and JESSIE T. USHER as John "JJ" Shaft in "Shaft."

JESSIE T. USHER as John "JJ" Shaft and ALEXANDRA SHIPP as Sasha in "Shaft"

Richard Roundtree as John Shaft, Sr. and Jessie T. Usher as John "JJ" Shaft in "Shaft"

REGINA HALL as Maya in "Shaft"

RICHARD ROUNDTREE as John Shaft, Sr. in "Shaft."

ALEXANDRA SHIPP as Sasha in "Shaft."

A scene from "Shaft."

A scene from "Shaft."

JESSIE T. USHER as John "JJ" Shaft in "Shaft"

View All Photos (37)

Movie Info

John Shaft Jr. may be an FBI cyber security expert, but to uncover the truth behind his best friend's untimely death, he needs an education that only his dad can provide. Absent throughout his childhood, the legendary John Shaft agrees to help his son navigate the heroin-infested underbelly of Harlem, N.Y. Besides, the locked and loaded Shaft has his own score to settle -- both professional and personal.

Rating:

R (Pervasive Language|Brief Nudity|Sexual Content|Some Drug Material|Violence)
Genre:

Action, Comedy
Original Language:

English
Director:

Tim Story
Producer:

John Davis
Writer:

Kenya Barris, Alex Barnow
Release Date (Theaters):

Jun 14, 2019 wide
Release Date (Streaming):

Sep 10, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA):

$21.4M
Runtime:

1h 51m
Distributor:

Warner Bros. Pictures
Aspect Ratio:

Scope (2.35:1)
View the collection:

Shaft

Cast & Crew

Samuel L. Jackson
John Shaft

Jessie Usher
JJ Shaft

Richard Roundtree
John Shaft, Sr.

Regina Hall
Maya Babanikos

Alexandra Shipp
Sasha Arias

Matt Lauria
Major Gary Cutworth

Show all Cast & Crew

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Critic Reviews for Shaft

All Critics (130) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (86)

Full Review… Andrea Gronvall Chicago Reader

Full Review… Justin Chang FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

Full Review… Jason Bailey Flavorwire

Full Review… Robert Daniels Mediaversity Reviews

Full Review… David Edelstein New York Magazine/Vulture

Full Review… Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times

Full Review… Lonita Cook KCTV5 News at 9

Full Review… Candice McMillan Seattle Refined

Full Review… Mike Massie Gone With The Twins

Full Review… Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com

Full Review… Nabila Hatimy The Star (Kenya)

Full Review… Damond Fudge KCCI (Des Moines, IA)

View All Critic Reviews (130)

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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