Shaft (2019)

 

Shaft #1

Synopsis: Venerable blaxploitation franchise descends into self-parody. 

Blurb From the DVD jacket: “Legendary bada** John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) agrees to help his estranged son JJ (Jessie T. Usher), uncover the truth about his friend’s suspicious death.” 

What Did I Learn?: Never throw up on the hot girl that’s feeling you. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You would gladly watch Samuel L. Jackson in just about anything. 

Really?: 1) So, Samuel L. Jackson was over 70 when he made this film? Isn’t that a bit old for swashbuckling? 2) Hmm… Shaft demands money from a drug dealer for scuffing his coat, but doesn’t think to reimburse the poor truck driver who now has a shattered windshield because he fired a shotgun at the fleeing bad dude. 

Rating: I wanted to like Shaft - my girlfriend saw it on a plane and suggested it might make a nice date night movie, but it left me somewhat cold. To be sure, the film delivers several good laughs, which is why it deserves at least a few stars, but aside from Usher’s terrible acting, that’s the main problem: the non-stop zingers (most of which are fairly crass) and occasional episodes of slapstick don’t mesh with the more serious plot, and this Shaft simply doesn’t feel like a worthy successor to the Richard Roundtree action thrillers of the 1970s. I cannot recommend this movie. 4/10 stars. 

Would it Work For a Bad Movie Night?: Absolutely! Take a drink any time you find yourself thinking John Shaft Jr. (Usher) is a little too whiny to be a likeable protagonist. 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4463894/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0