Review of Shaft (1971) by Jamie T — 14 Jan 2010

There are very few movies in which one character makes me like a bad movie (the last Pirates of the Caribbean being an example) and here Richard Roundtree's Shaft allllmost does it for me, but not quite.

While watching Shaft, I never really had a good vibe about it and I accredit that to the direction. I had a tough time paying attention to the plot because I was so bored with the look of the film and the camerawork. Everything just seemed very basic. Also other then Roundtree no other actor in the film seems to know how to show emotion without making it look like they are in pain. Even some of the action scenes seem very staged and unauthentic.

Even though I disliked the movie as a whole, there were a couple things I did like. The first thing being Roundtree. His character Shaft is one that will stand the tests of time because it is the first of it's kind. Until Shaft there had been no black character that had the freedom to do whatever he wanted. In Shaft, Shaft talks to everyone including his white superiors with attitude, because he is one bad mother. This character was the first of its kind and opened the door for many other black actors to take on roles that allowed them to really carry a movie.

The second thing I loved about this movie was the music. Isaac Hayse's theme song like the character will also stand the tests of time because it will always follow the character. Not only do the lyrics describe Shaft, but so does the beat as Shaft can be smooth and sexy at times, but he can also ramp it up and turn mean just like that. The theme song and the entire music throughout really sets a mood and it kept me interested even when I didn't care what was being said on screen.

Even though Roundtree turns in a memorable performance and the music sets a nice mood for the film, there isn't anything else here to pull you in and really keep you interested for over two hours.