SummaryCool black private eye John Shaft is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.
Directed By:Gordon Parks
Written By:Ernest Tidyman, John D.F. Black
Shaft
Metascore
Generally Favorable
66
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
66
90% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
10% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
88
Nearly every frame of Shaft is intent on doing one thing: establishing its hero – private detective John Shaft – as a powerful, independent, innately good yet still devilish man in complete control of his own destiny.
75
A hard-hitting action thriller.
70
Shaft is not a great film, but it's very entertaining.
70
Directed by Gordon Parks with a subtle feel for both the grit and the humanity of the script. Excellent cast, headed by newcomer Richard Roundtree, may shock some audiences with heavy dose of candid dialog and situation.
70
A hip, cool, entertaining thriller.
63
Adapted by Ernest Tidyman from his novel, this suffers from some sluggish dialogue scenes, but the movie comes to vibrant life whenever director Gordon Parks hits the streets of New York.
40
If Shaft were indeed a hard-hitting, fast-paced, action-packed detective thriller, as it was meant to be, then it would be an acceptable entertainment. But it isn't.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
50% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
50% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
May 27, 2024
6
Shaft is a cool take on a crime detective. Part of the Blaxploitation films this one stands out as higher quality which most people regard as one of the best from Blaxploitation. The story can be slow at times but Shaft really sells his character as a confident detective who is a seasoned veteran. Some complaints I have with the movie would be the random sex scenes which aren't bad by themselves but I thought he was committed to the first girl he stayed with so it was really out of character to go see him sleep with some random girl at the bar. Sound mixing can also be quiet at times probably due to the lower production quality. It's definitely a B movie classic.
Jun 26, 2022
6
The iconic style and dialogue aren't quite enough to take you through the awful pacing and low budget action which has aged poorly. Still, it's clearly made with love and if you're a fan of this genre then it'll be sure to entertain.
Production Company:
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- Shaft Productions
Release Date:Jul 2, 1971
Duration:1 h 40 m
Rating:R
Tagline:If you want to see Shaft, ask yo' Mama.
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Image Awards (NAACP)
• 2 Nominations
