Shaft
(2000)
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1/2
Rating: Mediocre

Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Director: John Singleton
Genre: Action, Drama
Release date: June 16, 2000 (wide)
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Jeffrey Wright, Christian Bale, Dan Hedaya, Richard Roundtree, Toni Collette.
Plot: Detective John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson), arrests a racist, young, rich white guy, Walter Wade (Christian Bale) in a murder of an innocent, young African American.  After the the court fails to punish Wade, Shaft takes matters in to his own hands and chases the only whitness of the crime (Toni Collette). 
picture above from www.shaft-themovie.com
Critique: What do you get when you have some of the most talented modern actors in the business, Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Christian Bale, Toni Collette, a very talented director, John Singleton, a superb theme song by Isaac Hayes, and an extremely bad script?  You get a big pile of trash.  A movie equivalent to toilet water.  You get tens of shallow gun scenes, and not one bit of character development or any chance for the actors or director to save this very bad movie.
        To add to the pile of trash that is Shaft (2000), it isn't even accurate or realistic.  There is no way the rich spoiled Walter Wade would not be punished for murdering an African American in our modern politically correct society.  The news would be all over it, forcing the courts do something.  Plus, John Shaft would not give up a salary to go after Wade, and kill many people in the process.
      Here's a question for the producers of this movie.  Why cast the fantastic looking Vanessa Williams if you aren't going to have her in a romantic plot with Shaft?  They could have saved money and hired a less good looking, actress who fit the role more effectively.
      A solid amount of critics are giving this movie good reviews.  I think it is because they are afraid they will be putting down all African Americans in the process of saying no to Shaft.  In truth this is not a movie about African American ethnicity but a rehash of 60's white spy movies, as was the original 71' Shaft.
    Lastly, Jackson played a neutered and less cool Shaft then Richard Roundtree.

                 by Supernothingman (ES)
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       review at [email protected]
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