STARS: ***
DIRECTOR: John Singleton
PRINCIPLE CAST:
Samuel L. Jackson
Vanessa L. Williams
Christian Bale
Toni Collette
Jeffrey Wright
Busta Rhymes
Richard Roundtree
TAGLINE: Still the man, any questions?
What can you say about Shaft? He was the bad ass mother in the seventies that every teenage boy (and even a few adults) wanted to be. In 2000, he has the same attitude and appeal that made him a huge success in the past. But could you actually ask for less from Samuel L. Jackson? This is the role he was born to revive and he does it well.
This time around John Shaft is the nephew to the original Shaft. Once again, he must overcome a biased judicial system, corrupt cops, and your not-so-typical villains. Here, we are given a murder case, a spoiled brat, a witness, and a drug lord. Throw in Shaft on the case, and what�s left to say? You are given a thoroughly entertaining action film that actually has a story (that I will not give away because it ruins the movie to give away anything).
I�ve always been a fan of John Singleton. He gave us an in-depth look at the hood in Boyz �N The Hood, a film that many others have tried to mimic, but could never do as well. Then, there was Poetic Justice, the film that mad Janet Jackson a film star. Next, was the college drama Higher Learning, one of my favorite films of all time. And, just before he brought us this action-packed summer film, he made Rosewood, the allegedly true story of a Florida town burned to the grown because of prejudice and ignorance. John Singleton has truly proven himself an accomplished director. In a ten year span, he has only had 5 films, but he creates each one magnificently.
Performance-wise, this film could not have been accomplished any better, although I would like to have seen Vanessa L. Williams a bit more in the film. What can you say about Samuel L. Jackson? He was born to play Shaft. He has the charm, attitude, and overall style of the man. Christian Bale just seems to be the perfect villain, a bit of a depressing compliment, but still one regardless. Toni Collette is amazing. She makes such a believable New Yorker, despite being Australian, and is a great actress. All of the other roles are accomplished either just about or as well, everyone from Vanessa L. Williams to Richard Roundtree to Busta Rhymes to Dan Hedaya.
So, it seems there would be nothing to complain about, and I could agree, but I usually have my gripe about something, so I�ll just have to get it out. I remember the original Shaft being quite the bit of a ladies man, and indeed the original shaft retains this. It�s just too bad that his nephew could not be the same. That�s it, a small complaint, but I had to say it. Overall, I would say this is the type of film that deserves some awards-recognition, but probably won�t receive it. Still, this is a great film, and a wonderful addition to a summer that does not look to bright movie-wise.
