Directed by:
John SingletonCinematography:
Donald E. ThorinComposer:
David ArnoldCast:
Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Jeffrey Wright, Christian Bale, Busta Rhymes, Dan Hedaya, Toni Collette, Richard Roundtree, Ruben Santiago-Hudson (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Remake of the 1971 blaxploitation classic with Samuel L. Jackson taking over from Richard Roundtree in the title role. When waitress Diane (Toni Collette) sees ultra-rich playboy Wade (Christian Bale) murder a young black man outside a nightclub, she knows that she will be next and promptly goes into hiding. Enter Armani-wearing supercop John Shaft (Jackson), the only man who cares enough to bring Wade to justice, and Diane's only hope of survival. Wade pays the drug-boss Peoples Hernandez (Jeffrey Wright) to have Diane killed, but Shaft is also hot on her trail and he's not a man put off easily. Shoot-outs and car chases follow. (Paramount Pictures AU)
(more)Reviews (2)
I was reminded of Shaft after all these years and was so pleasantly surprised that I had to give him an extra star. It's an honest crime drama that would perhaps be an absolute classic if... if it had been made before or soon after Dirty Harry. It's Dirty Harry that Shaft most resembles – a title character who is at once a rebel, a pragmatist, and a rather cunning fox, an interestingly evolving story, cynical catchphrases and impressive shoot-outs. I'm not familiar with the original series or the film, but even from this "new millennium version", the 70s can be felt far and wide. And that's good.
()
Samuel L. Jackson is perfectly suited for this role, even though it doesn't have that 70s punch and blaxploitation vibe anymore. This is simply a normal modern action movie, with a pretty tough main character that you wish was even tougher. There aren't that many memorable lines, but the story is quite twisted, even though it ends in an expected way.
()