Editing Shaft (1971 film) (section)

===Critical reception===
The critical reception of ''Shaft'' was mixed. In general, the film was applauded for its innovation, success, and its lasting effect on the film industry. "Because of the film's positioning securely within the parameters of industry standards, ''Shaft'' was generally applauded by the critics both black and white, as being a breakthrough production in terms of expanding black [[Social representation|representation]] in commercial cinema."<ref name=":0" />{{better source needed|date=October 2021}}

[[Roger Ebert]] gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote, "The strength of Parks's movie is his willingness to let his hero fully inhabit the private-eye genre, with all of its obligatory violence, blood, obscenity, and plot gimmicks. The weakness of 'Shaft,' I suspect, is that Parks is not very eager to inhabit that world along with his hero."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shaft-1971 |title=Shaft |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |website=[[RogerEbert.com]] |access-date=November 30, 2018 |archive-date=August 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809135725/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shaft-1971 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Gene Siskel]] awarded two stars out of four and wrote that the film "offers little more than a rousing opening fight and a chance to see Roundtree glower while he models some fancy leather outfits."<ref>[[Gene Siskel|Siskel, Gene]] (July 5, 1971). "[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37530290/gene_siskel_movie/ 'Shaft'...] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020132106/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37530290/gene_siskel_movie/ |date=2019-10-20 }}" ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. Section 2, p. 7.</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote that the film was "directed by Gordon Parks with a subtle feel for both the grit and the humanity of the script. Excellent cast, headed by newcomer Richard Roundtree, may shock some audiences with a heavy dose of candid dialog and situation."<ref>"Film Reviews: Shaft". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. June 16, 1971. 15.</ref> [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called it "the first good Saturday night movie I've seen in years ... 'Shaft' is not a great film, but it's very entertaining."<ref name=":5">[[Vincent Canby|Canby, Vincent]] (July 11, 1971). "[https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/11/archives/-shaft-at-last-a-good-saturday-night-movie-about-shaft.html 'Shaft'—At Last, a Good Saturday Night Movie] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020132107/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/11/archives/-shaft-at-last-a-good-saturday-night-movie-about-shaft.html |date=2019-10-20 }}". ''The New York Times''. D1.</ref> In a review for ''[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]]'', [[Nigel Andrews]] called it "in the main a highly workmanlike and enjoyable thriller."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Andrews |first=Nigel |author-link=Nigel Andrews |date=January 1972 |title=Shaft |journal=[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]] |volume=39 |issue=456 |page=15 }}</ref> Gary Arnold of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' called it "a diverting commercial thriller, inconsequential but slick and casually enjoyable."<ref>Arnold, Gary (June 30, 1971). "'Shaft': Diverting Thriller". ''[[The Washington Post]]''. B8.</ref>

Other critics like Clayton Riley mainly found fault in the films' failure to "deal with Black life in serious terms,"<ref name=":6" /> writing that "[[Sam Spade]] is all right for the field hands because the White folks don't want to carry that weight any more. But how seriously would '[[Five Easy Pieces]]' have been taken with a Black pianist as the weary protagonist?"<ref>Riley, Clayton (July 25, 1971). "[https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/25/archives/a-black-movie-for-white-audiences-a-black-critics-view-of-shaft.html A Black Movie for White Audiences?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020132214/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/25/archives/a-black-movie-for-white-audiences-a-black-critics-view-of-shaft.html |date=2019-10-20 }}" ''[[The New York Times]]''. D13.</ref> Riley also harshly stated, "Mediocre is the only word to describe the work of [[Gordon Parks]], the director of this nonsense, inept is the kindest thing to say about the performances of [[Richard Roundtree]] as [[John Shaft]], a Black private eye on the prowl for kicks in the [[Big Apple]] underworld."<ref name=":6" /> Parks responded to Riley's social criticisms with a letter to the editor in ''The New York Times'', stating that "Riley seems sadly alone among blacks in this reaction. Most black critics have lauded the film for its portrayal of Shaft as a strong black hero ... I share Riley's desire to see black actors playing roles now assumed by actors such as [[Jack Nicholson]] or [[Dustin Hoffman]], but I don't think the choice for black people is limited to either 'Five Easy Pieces' or [[Stepin Fetchit]]."<ref>Parks, Gordon (August 22, 1971). "[https://www.nytimes.com/1971/08/22/archives/aiming-shafts-at-a-critic-of-shaft-aiming-shafts-at-a-critic-of.html Aiming Shafts At a Critic of 'Shaft'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020132217/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/08/22/archives/aiming-shafts-at-a-critic-of-shaft-aiming-shafts-at-a-critic-of.html |date=2019-10-20 }}". ''[[The New York Times]]''. D8.</ref>

[[Rotten Tomatoes]] gives the film a score of 88% based on 49 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's "Critics Consensus" quotes the movie's [[Theme from Shaft|opening song]]: "This is the man that would risk his neck for his brother, man. Can you dig it?"<ref>{{Rotten Tomatoes|1018699-shaft|Shaft}}</ref>