Shaft (1971)

 

Shaft #2

Synopsis: Foul-mouthed New York private detective somehow stays out of the slammer, obtains money, sex and favours, and even cracks a big case even though he manages to insult everyone he encounters. 

Blurb From the DVD jacket: “Shaft’s the name. Excitement’s the game!” 

What Did I Learn?:1) Don’t let your mouth get your ass in trouble. 2) Gangster Bumpy Jonas sells “broads and dope and numbers,” while Shaft sells “crap and blue skies,” but it’s all the same game. 3) Money ALWAYS matters. 4) Shaft charges $50 an hour plus expenses and insists upon no questions about how he spends it. [According to the Bank of Canada’s inflation calculator, $50 in 1971 is equal to about $324 in 2020]

You Might Like This Movie If: You want to see the ho-hum detective movie that inspired an amazing soundtrack. 

Really?: 1) See: “Synopsis.” Holy shit, Shaft throws a guy out of his office window onto the street and kills him, yet the cops let him go with a warning to stay in touch even though he’s rude to them and doesn’t provide many answers. 2) I wonder how Shaft can wear all of that leather without squeaking everywhere he goes. 

Rating: John Shaft isn’t a terribly likeable character (he’s kind of a jerk - see “Synopsis” and “Really?”), and this film is a bit dated, but Shaft is still a somewhat entertaining and compelling gumshoe thriller as well as an interesting look at New York in the early 1970s. 7.5/10 stars. 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067741/?ref_=ttqt_qt_tt