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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this multi-generational Shaft struggles to keep its characters interesting -- or anything other than uncomfortably outdated.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

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Shaft Photos

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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):
     wide
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $21.4M
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Khalabo Ink Society, New Line Cinema, Davis Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures
  • Aspect Ratio:
    Scope (2.35:1)
  • View the collection:
    Shaft

Cast & Crew

Samuel L. Jackson
John Shaft
Jessie T. Usher
JJ Shaft
Richard Roundtree
John Shaft, Sr.
Regina Hall
Maya Babanikos
Alexandra Shipp
Sasha Arias
Matt Lauria
Major Gary Cutworth
Titus Welliver
Special Agent Vietti
Cliff "Method Man" Smith
Freddy P
Isaach De Bankolé
Pierro "Gordito" Carrera
Avan Jogia
Karim Hassan
Tim Story
Director
Kenya Barris
Screenwriter
Alex Barnow
Screenwriter
John Davis
Producer
Richard Brener
Executive Producer
Josh Mack
Executive Producer
Marc S. Fischer
Executive Producer
Tim Story
Executive Producer
Ira Napoliello
Executive Producer
Kenya Barris
Executive Producer
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News & Interviews for Shaft

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Critic Reviews for Shaft

All Critics (129) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (86)

View All Critic Reviews (129)

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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