Editing Shaft (1971 film)

{{short description|American blaxploitation crime action thriller film}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Shaft
| image          = Shaftposter.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Gordon Parks]]
| producer       = Joel Freeman
| screenplay     = [[Ernest Tidyman]]<br />[[John D. F. Black]]
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Shaft (novel)|Shaft]]''|Ernest Tidyman}}
| starring       = [[Richard Roundtree]]<br />[[Moses Gunn]]<br>[[Charles Cioffi]]
| music          = [[Isaac Hayes]]<br />[[Johnny Allen (arranger)|Johnny Allen]]
| cinematography = Urs Furrer
| editing        = [[Hugh A. Robertson]]
| studio         = Shaft Productions
| distributor    = [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
| released       = {{Film date|1971|6|25|Los Angeles|1971|07|02|United States||ref1=<ref>{{cite web |url=http://catalog.afi.com/Film/54157-SHAFT?sid=3c9f0f2e-265f-4e7a-bd8e-9d36014006fe&sr=0.8563489&cp=1&pos=2#3 |title=Shaft – Details |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=November 30, 2018 |archive-date=December 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201093238/http://catalog.afi.com/Film/54157-SHAFT?sid=3c9f0f2e-265f-4e7a-bd8e-9d36014006fe&sr=0.8563489&cp=1&pos=2#3 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| runtime        = 100 minutes
| country        = United States
| budget         = $500,000<ref name="timeboxo"/>
| language       = English
| gross          = $13 million<ref>[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/shaft-ignited-a-blaxploitation-movie-craze-1971-1214925/ Hollywood Flashback: ‘Shaft’ Ignited a Blaxploitation Movie Craze in 1971] ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]''. Retrieved February 17, 2024.</ref>
}}

'''''Shaft''''' is a 1971 American [[blaxploitation]] [[crime film|crime]] [[action thriller film]] directed by [[Gordon Parks]] and written by [[Ernest Tidyman]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ernest Tidyman {{!}} Writer, Additional Crew, Producer |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0862781/ |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref> and [[John D. F. Black]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=John D.F. Black {{!}} Writer, Producer, Director |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0085353/ |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref> It is an adaptation of Tidyman's [[Shaft (novel)|novel of the same name]] and is the first entry in the [[Shaft (film series)|''Shaft'' film series]]. The plot revolves around a private [[detective]] named [[John Shaft]] who is hired by a [[Harlem]] mobster to rescue his daughter from the [[Sicilian Mafia|Italian mobsters]] who kidnapped her. The film stars [[Richard Roundtree]] as Shaft, alongside [[Moses Gunn]], [[Charles Cioffi]], [[Christopher St. John]], and [[Lawrence Pressman]].

The film explores themes including [[masculinity]] and [[Human sexuality|sexuality]], with a specific emphasis on [[Black power movement|Black Power]]. It was filmed in [[Harlem]], [[Greenwich Village]], and [[Times Square]] within the [[Manhattan]] borough of New York City.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Starring New York: filming the grime and the glamour of the long 1970s|last=Corkin|first=Stanley|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2011|location=New York}}</ref> The [[Shaft (Isaac Hayes album)|''Shaft'' soundtrack album]], recorded by [[Isaac Hayes]], was also a success, winning a Grammy Award for [[Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media|Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Isaac Hayes Win Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture for "Shaft" {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/grammy-rewind-watch-isaac-hayes-win-best-original-score-written-motion-picture-shaft |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=www.grammy.com}}</ref> and a second Grammy (shared with [[Johnny Allen (arranger)|Johnny Allen]]) for [[Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella|Best Instrumental Arrangement]]. The "[[Theme from Shaft|Theme from ''Shaft'']]" won the [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]], making Hayes the first Black man to win the award for that category.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shaft (1971) |url=https://gatewayfilmcenter.org/movies/shaft-1971/ |access-date=2022-04-06 |website=Gateway Film Center |language=en-US}}</ref> The song has appeared on [[#Soundtrack|multiple Top 100 lists]], including [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs]].

A prime example of the blaxploitation genre,<ref>{{cite journal |title=Who Dat Man? ''Shaft'' and the|first=Joe Bob |last=Briggs |author-link=Joe Bob Briggs |journal=[[Cineaste (magazine)|Cineaste]] |volume=28 |issue=2 |date=Spring 2003 |url=http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/9422270/who-dat-man-shaft-blaxploitation-genre |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304091313/http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/9422270/who-dat-man-shaft-blaxploitation-genre |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-03-04 |access-date=April 11, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=At a Theater or Drive-In Near You: The History, Culture, and Politics of the American Exploitation Film |first=Randall |last=Clark |year=2014 |orig-year=1995 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=978-0-415-83865-8 |pages=152–153 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=American Films of the 70s: Conflicting Visions |first=Peter |last=Lev |year=2000 |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin |isbn=978-0-292-74715-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/americanfilmsof700levp/page/128 128–132] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/americanfilmsof700levp/page/128 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.oup.com/2013/06/blaxploitation-shaft-django/ |title=Blaxploitation, from ''Shaft'' to ''Django'' |author1-first=Robert |author1-last=Repino |author2-first=Tim |author2-last=Allen |date=June 3, 2013 |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-date=September 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920043226/http://blog.oup.com/2013/06/blaxploitation-shaft-django/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=''Shaft'' |encyclopedia=Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia |author-first=Brad L. |author-last=Stoddard |editor-first=Carlos E. |editor-last=Cortés |year=2013 |publisher=Sage Publications |location=Los Angeles |isbn=978-1-4522-1683-6 |pages=1924–1925 }}</ref> it was selected in 2000 for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Complete National Film Registry Listing {{!}} Film Registry {{!}} National Film Preservation Board {{!}} Programs {{!}} Library of Congress |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/ |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}</ref> ''Shaft'' initially had two sequels called ''[[Shaft's Big Score!]]'' (1972) and ''[[Shaft in Africa]]'' (1973), though neither enjoyed the critical success of the original.

==Plot==
In January 1971,<ref group=Note>Calendar in Shaft's office shows January 1971. See [[#Production|'''Production''']].</ref> private detective [[John Shaft]] is informed that some gangsters are looking for him. He spots one of the men waiting for him in his office building and ambushes him. At gunpoint, he brings him to his office, where the second gangster is already waiting. During a short fight, Shaft dodges one of them, who falls out of a window. The other one reveals that Bumpy Jonas, the leader of a Harlem-based organized crime family, wants Shaft brought uptown to Harlem for a meeting. At the police station, Lieutenant Vic Androzzi and a detective question Shaft about the gangster's death, which Shaft calls an "accident". Androzzi allows Shaft to return to the streets for 48 hours to gather more information. Shaft meets with Bumpy, who tearfully reveals that his daughter has been kidnapped. Shaft is at first dismissive, accusing her of being a runaway or on drugs, until Jonas says she was on her way to college when she got abducted. He asks Shaft to ensure her safe return, and Shaft agrees to help. Bumpy advises that Shaft should seek out Ben Buford, a black militant leader.

Shaft tracks down Buford, and a shootout ensues with an unknown assailant. Afterward, Shaft is told by Androzzi that Shaft, not Ben, was the target, and that tensions brewing between the uptown hoods belonging to Bumpy Jonas and the downtown Mafiosi have culminated in other murders. Androzzi laments that the issue is seen as black-against-white to the general public and worries about the escalation into a full-blown [[Ethnic conflict|race war]]. He also shows Shaft some pictures of Mafia men who just arrived in New York. Shaft and Ben meet with Bumpy and accuse him of setting up the shootout. After Bumpy agrees to pay $10,000 for each of Ben's men who died, Ben and Shaft join forces to find Bumpy's daughter.

Later, Shaft surmises that mobsters are watching his apartment from a local bar. Shaft pretends to be a bartender and calls Androzzi to have the mobsters arrested. Shaft then confronts the arrested mobsters about Bumpy's daughter, and he sets up a meeting. When he gets home, Vic arrives and tells Shaft that the room at the station house was [[covert listening device|bugged]] and his superior wants to bring Shaft in for questioning regarding the kidnapping. Instead of taking him in, Androzzi leaves. Shaft is escorted by a Mafia member to the apartment where Marcy Jonas is being held, and Ben and two of his men tail them. Once there, a shootout ensues: two Mafia men are killed, and Shaft takes a bullet in the shoulder. After receiving medical attention, Shaft tells Ben to round up his men and meet him at the hotel where Marcy has been taken. He calls Bumpy to tell him his daughter is fine, but that he needs [[Taxis of New York City|taxicabs]] at the hotel for the getaway.

At the hotel, Shaft, Ben, and Ben's men dress as hotel workers and slowly infiltrate the hotel. Shaft gets to the roof of the hotel, and swings into the room where Marcy is kept. He kills the gangster guarding her and brings her outside. Meanwhile, Ben and his men kill the gangsters in the surrounding rooms, and exit. After the taxicabs take Marcy, Ben, and Ben's men away, Shaft calls Androzzi from a phone booth, telling him that his case has just busted open. Androzzi asks him to close it, and Shaft replies, in reference to an earlier scene, "You're gonna have to close it yourself, shitty!", then hangs up the phone and walks away laughing.

==Cast==
{{castlist|
* [[Richard Roundtree]] as [[John Shaft]]
* [[Moses Gunn]] as "Bumpy" Jonas
* [[Drew Bundini Brown]] as Willy
* [[Charles Cioffi]] as Lieutenant Vic Androzzi
* [[Christopher St. John]] as Ben Buford
* Gwenn Mitchell as Ellie Moore
* [[Lawrence Pressman]] as Tom Hannon
* [[Victor Arnold (American actor)|Victor Arnold]] as Charlie
* [[Tony King (actor)|Tony King]] as Davies
* Sherri Brewer as Marcy Jonas
* [[Rex Robbins]] as Rollie
* [[Camille Yarbrough]] as Dina Greene
* Margaret Warncke as Linda
* Joseph Leon as Byron Leibowitz
* [[Arnold Johnson (actor)|Arnold Johnson]] as Cul
* [[Antonio Fargas]] as "Bunky"
}}

== Background ==
''Shaft'' was adapted from Ernest Tidyman's novels by Tidyman and screenwriter John D. F. Black. Joel Freeman and executive producers [[Stirling Silliphant]] and Roger Lewis produced the film.<ref name=":2">Reid, Mark. ''Redefining Black Film''. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993.</ref>

The screen detective genre in the late 1960s had been dominated by the big movies, big stars. [[Paul Newman]] had established his [[Harper (film)|Harper]] in 1966, (the character reprised 1975, in ''[[The Drowning Pool (film)|The Drowning Pool]]''). Soon following, [[Frank Sinatra]]'s ''[[Tony Rome]]'' (1967), ''[[The Detective (1968 film)|The Detective]]'' (1968), and ''[[Lady in Cement]]'' (1968) further set the quality. Industry knowledge suggested that the first of the [[Clint Eastwood]] ''[[Dirty Harry (film series)|Dirty Harry]]'' productions was also slated for a 1971 release. Gordon Parks's directorial debut of a major entertainment production was set on a course for an appreciation of comparisons. The instinctive cultural polymath knew where a coup of casting was his by necessity to play.

Although black in the source novel, Tidyman's original draft screenplay had Shaft as white. However, [Gordon] Parks cast African American actor [[Richard Roundtree]] as the eponymous hero.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|title=Crime Wave: The Filmgoers' Guide to Great Crime Movies|last=Hughes|first=Howard|publisher=I.B. Tauris|year=2006|location=London}}</ref> The entire dynamic of the film, its later success, and the future of blaxploitation films were all greatly impacted by Parks' decision. This film was created less to impact black consciousness and more to simply to show a {{" '}}fun film', which people could attend on Saturday night and see a black guy winning."<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Framing Blackness: The African American Image in Film (Culture and The Moving Image)|last=Guerrero|first=Ed|author-link=Ed Guerrero|publisher=Temple University Press|year=1993|location=Philadelphia}}</ref> Nevertheless, Parks said in the documentary about his work, ''Half Past Autumn'' (2000), that he had hoped the film would inspire young African Americans by presenting them with "a hero they hadn't had before." ''Shaft'' was intentionally created to "appeal to a black urban audience, along with contiguous white youths."<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last=Henry|first=Matthew|date=Spring 2004|title=He Is a "Bad Mother*$%@!#": ''Shaft'' and Contemporary Black Masculinity|journal=African American Review|volume=38|issue=1|pages=119–126|doi=10.2307/1512235|jstor=1512235}}</ref>

After production, in an effort to entice a large black audience to see the film, [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] hired [[UniWorld Group|UniWorld]], a black advertising firm, who "popularized ''Shaft'' by using the rhetoric of black power."<ref name=":2" /> Although this film was notable for its crossover success with both white and black audiences, UniWorld focused largely on attracting members of the African-American community. "For example, ''Variety'' reported UniWorld's advertisement description of the protagonist John Shaft as, 'A lone, black [[Superspade]]—a man of flair and flamboyance who has fun at the expense of the (white) establishment.'"<ref name=":2" /> They also promoted {{" '}}the behind-the-camera participation of blacks', thereby appealing to blacks who would appreciate the film as a black production or could fantasize that blacks had somehow beat the Hollywood system and taken over Metro-Goldwyn Mayer studios."<ref name=":2" />

=== Roundtree's view about being in the film ===
When asked at the 2014 [[Virginia Film Festival]] how it felt to be cast as Shaft, [[Richard Roundtree]] responded that he had been extremely excited about the part at the time. He had previously been cast mostly in commercials, and this role, his first in a feature film, was a big break for him.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBObDMpaXeo|title=Richard Roundtree Discusses 'Shaft' at Virginia Film Festival|date=November 11, 2014|via=YouTube|access-date=May 28, 2016|archive-date=February 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216023513/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBObDMpaXeo|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Production ===
{{expand section|date=November 2014}}
[[Melvin Van Peebles]] claimed that the success of his film ''[[Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song]]'' caused ''Shaft'' to be changed from a "white movie" into a "black one".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/jun/05/features.review|title=Baadasssss is back!|date=5 June 2005|newspaper=[[The Observer]]|access-date=2010-10-31|archive-date=2018-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407184132/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/jun/05/features.review|url-status=live}}</ref> In fact, filming of ''Shaft'' began in January 1971, several months before the release of Van Peebles' film, with Roundtree already confirmed in the lead role.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=S2tkAAAAIBAJ&pg=2331,4657347&dq=richard-roundtree+shaft&hl=en|title=Filming of Shaft on in New York|date=Jan 27, 1971|work=[[The Calgary Herald]]|access-date=May 29, 2020|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620230429/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=S2tkAAAAIBAJ&pg=2331%2C4657347&dq=richard-roundtree+shaft&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HclOAAAAIBAJ&pg=2467,4235894&dq=richard-roundtree+shaft&hl=en|title=Roundtree plays detective|date=March 28, 1971|work=Toledo Blade|access-date=May 29, 2020|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620230421/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HclOAAAAIBAJ&pg=2467%2C4235894&dq=richard-roundtree+shaft&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=First 1971 Movie Is Ready to Shoot: Times Square Scenes for 'Shaft' Set for Monday|date=January 5, 1971|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> The story is set in the same month, as shown by a calendar on Shaft's office wall.

Tidyman, who is white, was an editor at ''The New York Times'' prior to becoming a novelist. He sold the movie rights to ''Shaft'' by showing the galley proofs to the studio (the novel had not yet been published). Tidyman was honored by the [[NAACP]] for his work on the ''Shaft'' movies and books.

== Themes ==
{{POV|date=October 2023}}

=== Portrayal of race ===
''Shaft'' played a crucial part in the development of African-American advancement in Hollywood.
In the creation of ''Shaft'', there was a significant African-American presence, with director Parks, editor [[Hugh A. Robertson]], and composer Isaac Hayes playing crucial roles. On the other hand, white men controlled the other important aspects of ''Shaft'''s production. Scenarist and writer Tidyman, writer Black, producer Freeman, and executive producers Silliphant and Lewis<ref name=":2" /> were all white men who heavily influenced the making of ''Shaft''. In an analysis of ''Shaft'', Stanly Corkin stated, "Further, the reception of the idea of blackness also becomes various, defined by any number of subject positions, and again, those cannot be fixed to any particular racially defined place of origin." In other words, the perception of race depends on the viewer and thus differs between individuals. Since different representations of race appeal to different people, the film's white creators fabricated its representation of blackness in order to appeal to African American and white audiences alike.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} MGM was struggling financially during the making of this film, so making a profitable film was a necessity. "Under the devious guise of providing the Black American with a new and positive image of his/her life, these films confer upon the viewer, Black or White, little more than a pretended glamour and sophistication, the empty, repetitive wasteland of ancient Hollywood traditionalism."<ref name=":6">{{cite news |last1=Riley |first1=Clayton |title=Shaft Can Do Everything—I Can Do Nothing |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/13/archives/-shaft-can-do-everything-i-can-do-nothing.html |access-date=1 January 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=13 August 1972 |page=D9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806201218/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/13/archives/-shaft-can-do-everything-i-can-do-nothing.html|archive-date=6 August 2017|url-status=live|url-access=limited}}</ref>

Parks' decision to cast Roundtree rather than a white actor, for whom the role was written, instantly altered the presentation of race in the film.<ref name=":3" /> Critics, however, believed the plot was not altered enough to accommodate the change in racial dynamics. "Mark Reid, for example, argues that Shaft is a product of the (white) studio imagination and merely a 'black-skinned replica' of the white action hero commonly found in the detective genre."<ref name=":4" />

One way that Shaft's blackness was showcased was through his attire. Shaft was "stylistically racialized: [He] wears clothes and affects manners that are associated with being black".<ref name=":1" /> Shaft was known for his elegant garb, as he was frequently draped in leather coats and turtlenecks throughout the film. Although his smooth, classy look evoked a greater interest from viewers, it in no way represented fashion typical of the black community in that era.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

Further, Shaft relies upon a group of militant [[Black nationalism|black nationalists]] in helping him complete his mission to save Bumpy's daughter. The inclusion of a group so strongly identified with the [[Black Power movement]] was clearly an effort to appeal to black audience members.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} However, the film presented the black nationalists as a group that failed to further the black cause, raised no awareness of the black struggle, and displayed them simply as a hired team of assailants to assist Shaft on his mission.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

The filming of ''Shaft'' partly in the neighborhood of Harlem also allowed the black viewer to have a deeper connection to this film. The writers portrayed Shaft as a man who clearly had a good relationship with this neighborhood, yet rejected it once he became wealthy, moving to the predominantly white area of Greenwich Village. Traditional black thought in this era was that African Americans who had been prosperous financially should invest in and give back to the communities from which they came. Instead, "the implication is that the wise black (Shaft) will want to sever ties with the people of Harlem and find a place among whites."<ref name=":2" /> This point further indicates the false portrayal of race in ''Shaft'', as a true black action hero of his time period would have been more loyal to his neighborhood.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

The result of this inauthentic portrayal of blackness in early 1970s blaxploitation films like ''Shaft'' had an effect on black audiences viewing them. Instead of the collective nature of the [[Civil Rights Movement]] and Black Power movement in the 1960s, these films helped to usher in a decade of self-indulgence, material gain, and drug consumption.<ref name=":4" /> "Equally important, Riley points out that the narratives about, and images of, blacks in these new films are no more than thematic templates reworked with black casts and updated stereotypes that reconfirm white expectations of blacks and serve to repress and delay the awakening of any real political consciousness."<ref name=":0" />

=== Black power through masculinity ===

{{more citations needed|date=November 2023}}

Although ''Shaft'' was a depiction of Blackness by white creators, the movie touched on several themes that reflected the ideals of the Black Power movement. Some of the actions taken by Shaft highlighted the positive aspects of this movement, while others brought out some of its less progressive facets.

A noticeable quality of Roundtree's character was his commanding presence and the control that he displayed in almost every situation he faced throughout the film. In the Black Power movement, leaders ardently fought to gain greater presence and control for their people, because even after [[Desegregation in the United States|desegregation]], African Americans were still greatly excluded from the economic, political, and cultural systems engrained in white American society. Shaft was depicted as a character that had achieved a high level of personal freedom, confidence, and control in his life, which was exciting for African American viewers. At the beginning of the film, Shaft was approached by two police officers seeking information. As the officers were depending upon his information, Shaft dictated the conversation from a position of power. Spatially, he also was much taller than the officers, further boosting his position of control. Shaft's economic independence was a crucial part of his persona. Once bankrolled by Bumpy, Shaft was often seen giving money to others, which showed that he had substantial financial security. He also had a beautiful apartment located in Greenwich Village, where rent would have been expensive. The Black Power movement frequently stressed the importance of upward [[social mobility]].

Another prominent characteristic of this movement was its strong focus on [[masculinity]]. This emphasis on the male effort to improve black life was accompanied by [[Sexism|sexist]] beliefs by many leading activists. Their sexist views were felt to be a reaction to the hierarchical power structure already prevalent in society. Having been subjugated by white people for years, African-American men in turn treated women as beneath them. "Robyn Wiegman argues that the members of the Black Power Movement defined the politics of race within 'a metaphorics of phallic power,' which developed out of male activists' desire to counter cultural articulations of black male inferiority, and that this perspective is readily seen in the writings of influential figures such as [[Malcolm X]], [[Huey P. Newton|Huey Newton]], [[Eldridge Cleaver]], and [[Amiri Baraka]]."<ref name=":4" />

Shaft directly embodied this ideal of extreme black masculinity through displays of [[hypersexuality]] and [[misogyny]]. "Although Shaft lacked power in the racial sphere, by virtue of being a heterosexual male [[Patriarchy|in a patriarchal system]], he still maintains a semblance of power in relation to women."<ref name=":4" /> From the very beginning of the film, Shaft's sexuality was highlighted as an important characteristic of his persona. In this scene, Shaft was parting ways with two white officers and one asks him, "Where are you going?" "To get laid", Shaft replied. Shaft was described as a legendary "sex machine", and this dominance over females was presented as an instrument of power.<ref name=":4" /> Shaft not only has ample sexual relationships with women, but he treats them with little respect. "While he ha[d] a black girlfriend, which would satisfy the expectations of [[cultural nationalism]], he is not above sleeping around and having random sex with attractive white women."<ref name=":0" /> In one scene, Shaft's girlfriend told him that she loves him, and Shaft memorably responded with "Yeah, I know." Also, after a white woman slept with Shaft, she told him, "You're pretty good in the sack, but you're pretty shitty afterwards. You know that?" This statement further highlights both Shaft's sexual prowess and his misogynist actions.

== Context ==
The fifth blaxploitation film released, ''Shaft'' is one of the most popular films of the genre.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mubi.com/lists/blaxploitation|title=Blaxploitation|last=Williams|first=Anton|date=May 11, 2010|website=Mubi.com|access-date=August 11, 2018|archive-date=August 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812083024/https://mubi.com/lists/blaxploitation|url-status=live}}</ref> Commenting on the film shortly after its release, ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' movie critic [[Vincent Canby]] accurately predicted the wave of blaxploitation films to follow: "How audiences react, however, has a great deal to do with the kind of movies that do get made, and having watched the extraordinary receptions given to both ''Sweet Sweetback'' and ''Shaft'' I'm led to wonder if, perhaps, the existence of what seems to be a large, hungry, Black movie audience—an audience whose experiences and interests are treated mostly in token fashion by TV—might not be one of the more healthy and exciting developments on the current movie scene." ''Shaft'' greatly impacted future blaxploitation films which "crudely tried to emulate the success of ''Shaft'' and ''Sweetback'', repeated, filled in, or exaggerated the ingredients of the Blaxploitation formula, which usually consisted of a pimp, gangster, or their baleful female counterparts, violently acting out a revenge or retribution motif against corrupt whites in the romanticized confines of the ghetto or inner city."<ref name=":0" />

==Cultural impact==
Considered as "the first Black action hero", Roundtree is credited with having an impact on the rise of African American [[leading actor]]s in [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] projects, thanks to his successful performances in the [[Shaft (franchise)|Shaft franchise]].

The way Richard Roundtree portrayed Shaft created a Black male style that was so distinct and pervasive it became known as “swag”. After Shaft the representation of Black masculinity in American films was dramatically changed. It became the norm to see black men in roles that before would have been filled by white men.<ref name="St.Martin">{{cite web |last1=St. Martin |first1=Emily |date=October 25, 2023 |title=Richard Roundtree, star of the 1970s 'Shaft' film franchise, has died at 81 |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-10-24/richard-roundtree-shaft-movies-dead-at-81 |access-date=October 25, 2023 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref><ref name="Koseluk">{{cite web |last1=Koseluk |first1=Chris |title=Richard Roundtree, Suave Star of 'Shaft,' Dies at 81 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/richard-roundtree-dead-shaft-1235626813/ |access-date=October 24, 2023 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref><ref name="CNN_Shaft">{{cite web |last1=Fulwood III |first1=Sam |title=Opinion: After 'Shaft,' Black Americans in film were never portrayed the same way |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/28/opinions/richard-roundtree-shaft-black-actors-hollywood-fulwood/index.html |website=CNN |publisher=Warner Bros. Discovery Company |access-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029013816/https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/28/opinions/richard-roundtree-shaft-black-actors-hollywood-fulwood/index.html |archive-date=29 October 2023 |url-status=live |language=en |date=28 October 2023}}</ref><ref name="Tweedle">Tweedle, Sam, "I'm Just Talkin' About Shaft (And We Can Dig It)," ''Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict'', Internet website [http://popcultureaddict.com/movies-2/shaft-htm/], accessed August 20, 2014.</ref>

==Reception==
===Box office performance===
The film was one of only three profitable movies that year for [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]], grossing what ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine called an "astonishing" $13&nbsp;million on a budget of $500,000.<ref name="timeboxo">{{cite magazine| url= http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,905921,00.html | archive-url= https://archive.today/20120913034735/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,905921,00.html | url-status= dead | archive-date= September 13, 2012 | title= Show Business: Black Market | magazine= [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date= April 10, 1972 | access-date=2010-10-31}}</ref>

The ''Los Angeles Times'' said the film cost $1&nbsp;million after advertising and other costs and grossed $4.5&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news|title=MGM to Specialize and Diversify, Too: Aubrey Sees Big Year, Details 'Select' Movies, Resort Plans MGM: Leo Seeks Greener Fields|author1=Dallos, Robert E|author2=Delugach, Al.|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Oct 24, 1971|page=h1}}</ref> According to ''Variety'' by 1976 it earned $7.656&nbsp;million in theatrical rentals.<ref>{{cite news|title=All-time Film Rental Champs|work=Variety|date=7 January 1976|page=44}}</ref>

It not only spawned several years of "blaxploitation" action films, it earned enough money to save then-struggling [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] from bankruptcy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nndb.com/people/248/000027167/|title=Gordon Parks|website=www.nndb.com|access-date=2011-12-20|archive-date=2018-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118072712/http://www.nndb.com/people/248/000027167/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Public reception ===
''Shaft'' was extremely successful in theaters, which was a huge accomplishment for the then-struggling MGM studios. It was produced at a cost of $1.2&nbsp;million while earning $10.8&nbsp;million in its first year of distribution,<ref name=":0" /> $7&nbsp;million in the U.S. alone.<ref name=":3" />

===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>

===Awards and nominations===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[44th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Dramatic Score]]
| [[Isaac Hayes]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1972 |title=The 44th Academy Awards (1972) Nominees and Winners |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |access-date=December 6, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111072026/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1972 |archive-date=November 11, 2014}}</ref>
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Song – Original for the Picture]]
| "[[Theme from Shaft|Theme from ''Shaft'']]" <br> Music and Lyrics by Isaac Hayes
| {{won}}
|-
| [[25th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Original Music|Best Original Music]]
| rowspan="2"| Isaac Hayes
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1972/film |title=BAFTA Awards: Film in 1972 |publisher=[[British Academy Film Awards]] |access-date=September 16, 2016}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[29th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score – Motion Picture]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="3"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/shaft/ |title=Shaft |publisher=[[Golden Globe Awards]] |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song – Motion Picture]]
| "Theme from ''Shaft''" <br> Music and Lyrics by Isaac Hayes
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor|Most Promising Newcomer – Male]]
| [[Richard Roundtree]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="7"| [[14th Annual Grammy Awards|Grammy Awards]]
| [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]]
| ''[[Shaft (Isaac Hayes album)|Shaft]]'' – Isaac Hayes
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="7"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/14th-annual-grammy-awards |title=14th Annual GRAMMY Awards |publisher=[[Grammy Awards]] |access-date=May 1, 2011}}</ref>
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]]
| "Theme from ''Shaft''" – Isaac Hayes
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals|Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group]]
| "Theme from ''Shaft''" (Instrumental) – Isaac Hayes
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella|Best Instrumental Arrangement]]
| "Theme from ''Shaft''" – Isaac Hayes and [[Johnny Allen (arranger)|Johnny Allen]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition|Best Instrumental Composition]]
| "Theme from ''Shaft''" – Isaac Hayes
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media|Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special]]
| ''Shaft'' – Isaac Hayes
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical|Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical]]
| "Theme from ''Shaft''" – Henry Bush, Ron Capone, and Dave Purple
| {{won}}
|-
| [[1994 MTV Movie Awards|MTV Movie Awards]]
| Lifetime Achievement Award
| Richard Roundtree
| {{won}}
| align="center"| 
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[NAACP Image Awards]]
| rowspan="2"| [[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture]]
| [[Moses Gunn]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| 
|-
| Richard Roundtree
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[National Film Preservation Board]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Film Registry]]
| {{won|Inducted}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/ |title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date=December 16, 2015}}</ref>
|}

In 2000, ''Shaft'' was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackclassicmovies.com/Movie_Feature/african_american_films_natl_registry.html |title=African American Films in the National Film Registry |publisher=BlackClassicMovies.com |access-date=May 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080218153508/http://www.blackclassicmovies.com/Movie_Feature/african_american_films_natl_registry.html |archive-date=2008-02-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-69475112.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104032058/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-69475112.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |title=''Shaft'' Among 25 Films Picked By Library Of Congress For 2000 National Film Preservation Registry |publisher=HighBeam.com |access-date=May 21, 2010}}</ref>

In 2003, ''Shaft'' was chosen as one of ''The 1000 Best Movies Ever Made'' by ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html | work=[[The New York Times]] | title=The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made | date=April 29, 2003 | access-date=May 21, 2010 | archive-date=March 29, 2005 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050329013532/http://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

==== [[American Film Institute]] Lists ====
* [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs]]
** ''Theme From Shaft'' – #38<ref>{{cite web |url=http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/songs100.pdf?docID=244 |title=AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs |publisher=[[American Film Institute|AFI.com]] |access-date=May 21, 2010 |archive-date=September 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090919175606/http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/songs100.pdf?docID=244 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Soundtrack==<!-- do not rename section without also updating forward reference in introduction -->
{{main|Shaft (Isaac Hayes album)}}
One of the greatest factors contributing to ''Shaft'''s wild success and lasting appeal is its memorable [[Film score|musical score]], "a revolutionary [[funk]]/soul masterpiece".<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/isaac-hayes-shaft-isaac-hayes-by-trevor-maclaren.php|title=Isaac Hayes: Shaft|last=Maclaren|first=Trevor|date=July 3, 2006|access-date=May 25, 2016|archive-date=June 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623010336/https://www.allaboutjazz.com/isaac-hayes-shaft-isaac-hayes-by-trevor-maclaren.php|url-status=live}}</ref> Hayes auditioned for the role of [[John Shaft|Shaft]] but was asked to compose the musical score instead.<ref name=":3" /> "Vulgar, shallow, and crudely done, ''Shaft'' distinguished itself mainly by having the best musical score of the year. Isaac Hayes's sensual, moody [[background music]] added to the texture of the film…"<ref>{{Cite book|title=Toms, coons, mulattoes, mammies, and bucks : an interpretive history of Blacks in American films|last=Bogle|first=Donald|publisher=Viking Press|year=1973|location=New York}}</ref>

Hayes' soundtrack was recognized for its unique and catchy sound. "Instead of laying out a series of lengthy, chilled-out raps and jams, the episodic nature of a movie structure obliged him to focus on shorter [[instrumental]]s, featuring laid-back, [[jazz]]-infused riffs and solos."<ref name=":8" /> For example, from the '[[Theme from Shaft]],' "The instrumental section, played by the Bar Kays and Movement, deploys pulsating [[Bass guitar|bass]], stuttering wah-wah [[guitar]], Hayes's own distinctive [[piano]] playing, a descending four-note horn motif, ascending flute runs and the now famous [[Pearl & Dean|Pearl and Dean]]-style blasts of [[Brass instrument|brass]] and [[String (music)|strings]]."<ref name=":3" /> "Thirty five years on, ''Shaft'' may sound dated, but it's a sound that inspired a generation of soul musicians. Hayes' laid back vocal delivery and the gorgeous arrangements by [[Johnny Allen (arranger)|Johnny Allen]] are still breathtaking, and the album remains a quintessential slice of '70s soul."<ref name=":8" />

The soundtrack received praise and awards. Only a few weeks after the release of the film, the [[soundtrack]] album had earned $2&nbsp;million and had gone [[Music recording sales certification|platinum]].<ref name=":0" /><ref group=Note>The soundtrack to '''Shaft''' did not go platinum a few weeks after the release of the film. No recording could have gone platinum in 1971, as the category was not introduced by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] until 1976. The soundtrack was certified gold by the RIAA in 1996. [https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=shaft#search_section RIAA gold and platinum retrieved 22 May 2023.]</ref> "The ''Shaft'' theme became so popular that it was heard everywhere, from [[nightclub]]s to halftime at [[American football|football]] games." (Guerrero 1993) Hayes was also nominated for two [[Academy Awards]] for Best Original Dramatic Score and for [[Best Original Song]] with the '[[Theme from Shaft]].'.<ref name=":3" /> When he won for [[Best Original Song]], it was the first time an [[African Americans|African American]] [[composer]] had won an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]].<ref name=":8" /> "The 45-single release of the record topped the US charts, hit number 4 in the UK and is still popular today, enjoying a new lease of life as a cellphone ring tone."<ref name=":3" />

== Home media ==
''Shaft'' was released on VHS, followed by a DVD release in June 2000, and a [[Blu-ray]] release in 2012.<ref>{{Citation |title=Shaft Blu-ray |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Shaft-Blu-ray/43364/ |access-date=2022-06-16}}</ref> [[The Criterion Collection]] released the film on Blu-ray and [[Ultra HD Blu-ray]] in June 2022, featuring a [[4K resolution|4K]] restoration.<ref>{{Citation |title=Criterion Announces June Releases |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=30326 |access-date=2022-06-16}}</ref>

== Sequels==
''Shaft'' initially had two sequels called ''[[Shaft's Big Score!]]'' (1972) and ''[[Shaft in Africa]]'' (1973), with "neither capturing the soul of the original", according to author Howard Hughes.<ref name=":3" /> An additional sequel, and part remake, was released in 2000, also called ''[[Shaft (2000 film)|Shaft]]'', starring [[Samuel L. Jackson]] as the title character, and Roundtree appearing as his "Uncle" John Shaft.<ref name="cinemablend 2019"/> The earlier sequels were followed by a short-lived 1973–1974 television series titled ''[[Shaft (TV series)|Shaft]]'' on [[CBS]]. [[Richard Roundtree]] was the only person to ever play John Shaft, appearing in all four films and the television series.

Ernest Tidyman wrote six ''Shaft'' novel sequels, including ''Goodbye, Mr Shaft'' and ''Shaft's Carnival of Killers''.<ref name=":3" />

In February 2015, [[TheWrap]] reported that ''Shaft'' would be [[wikt:reboot|reboot]]ed by [[New Line Cinema]] with [[John Davis (producer)|John Davis]] producing the new film.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/shaft-reboot-in-the-works-at-new-line-with-predator-producer-exclusive/ |title='Shaft' Reboot in the Works at New Line With 'Predator' Producer (Exclusive) |first=Jeff |last=Sneider |date=February 18, 2015 |website=[[TheWrap]] |access-date=August 15, 2015 |archive-date=August 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829053234/http://www.thewrap.com/shaft-reboot-in-the-works-at-new-line-with-predator-producer-exclusive/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In July 2015, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' reported that Kenya Barris and Alex Barnow would be writing the script, Davis and Ira Napoliello would be producing, and Richard Brener and Samuel J. Brown would direct. ''The Hollywood Reporter'' wrote that the film "will have a comedic tone but will retain its action roots".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/shaft-getting-remake-black-ish-811631|title='Shaft' Getting Remake From 'Black-ish' Creator (Exclusive)|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|last=Kit|first=Borys|date=July 28, 2015|access-date=August 15, 2015|archive-date=August 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150813130758/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/shaft-getting-remake-black-ish-811631|url-status=live}}</ref> When he was asked about that characterization of the film, Davis said "It's drama, but it's going to be drama with a lot of fun moments. A lot of lighter moments."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/shaft-reboot-is-a-drama-not-a-comedy-john-davis/|title='Shaft' Reboot Is a Drama, Not a Comedy Says Producer John Davis|website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]|last=Chitwood|first=Adam|date=August 14, 2015|access-date=August 15, 2015|archive-date=August 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815052428/http://collider.com/shaft-reboot-is-a-drama-not-a-comedy-john-davis/|url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2017, Deadline reports that [[Tim Story]] will direct the film, a sequel, which will follows the son of John Shaft.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://deadline.com/2017/01/tim-story-shaft-reboot-new-line-richard-roundtree-samuel-l-jackson-1201885432/|title=Tim Story To Direct New Version Of 'Shaft' For New Line|magazine=Deadline|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|date=January 20, 2017|access-date=February 18, 2020|archive-date=November 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121120347/https://deadline.com/2017/01/tim-story-shaft-reboot-new-line-richard-roundtree-samuel-l-jackson-1201885432/|url-status=live}}</ref> In August 2017, it was revealed that Richard Roundtree and Samuel L. Jackson would reprise their roles from the 2000 film, and [[Jessie T. Usher]] would portray J. J. Shaft, the son of Jackson's character. Roundtree's character would no longer be the uncle, but Jackson's character's father John Shaft Sr.<ref name="cinemablend 2019">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2474336/why-shaft-is-changing-the-relationship-between-samuel-l-jackson-and-richard-roundtree-characters|title = Why Shaft is Changing the Relationship Between Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Roundtree's Characters|date = 4 June 2019}}</ref> In November 2017, the film was revealed to be entitled ''[[Shaft (2019 film)|Shaft]]'' and was released on June 14, 2019.<ref>{{cite news|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=November 29, 2017|url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/jeremy-renner-rashida-jones-warner-bros-release-date-tag-shaft-the-goldfinch-1202217096/|title=Warner Bros. Moves 'Tag' Up, Sets 2019 Release For 'Shaft' & 'The Goldfinch'|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=July 28, 2018|archive-date=July 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728131435/https://deadline.com/2017/11/jeremy-renner-rashida-jones-warner-bros-release-date-tag-shaft-the-goldfinch-1202217096/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of American films of 1971]]
* [[List of cult films]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0067741|Shaft}}
* {{TCMDb title|1280|Shaft}}
* {{AFI film|54157}}
* {{discogs master|122050}}

{{John Shaft}}
{{Gordon Parks}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Shaft (franchise)]]
[[Category:1971 action films]]
[[Category:1971 films]]
[[Category:1970s action thriller films]]
[[Category:1970s American films]]
[[Category:1970s crime action films]]
[[Category:1971 crime thriller films]]
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
[[Category:1970s mystery films]]
[[Category:American action thriller films]]
[[Category:American crime action films]]
[[Category:American crime thriller films]]
[[Category:American detective films]]
[[Category:American exploitation films]]
[[Category:American mystery films]]
[[Category:American neo-noir films]]
[[Category:Blaxploitation films]]
[[Category:Films about African-American organized crime]]
[[Category:Films about kidnapping in the United States]]
[[Category:Films about the New York City Police Department]]
[[Category:Films adapted into television shows]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films based on crime novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Gordon Parks]]
[[Category:Films set in 1971]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
[[Category:Films shot in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Films shot in New York City]]
[[Category:Films that won the Best Original Song Academy Award]]
[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films]]
[[Category:United States National Film Registry films]]
[[Category:Films about the American Mafia]]
[[Category:English-language crime action films]]
[[Category:English-language crime thriller films]]
[[Category:English-language action thriller films]]
[[Category:English-language mystery films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Ernest Tidyman]]