Review of Shaft (1971) by Ryan M — 04 Dec 2007
First off, this film didn't feel as exploitative as I thought it would be. Oh sure, the black man is a renegade cop and employs the aid of other black men to kill off some mobsters and he has the usual smooth back-talking aura about him.
What I did find exploitive, and this is typical of the earlier male-oriented blaxploitation films, is the portrayal of black women. They are nothing more than loyal sex toys who run some errands for him, so basically, they are unchanging stock characters.
It's a problem that is quickly fixed with films like Foxy Brown and Coffy, but other problems arise. However, those are just minor social criticisms. The plot was easy to follow, the dialog was slick, and the setting added extra atmosphere to the film.
A good "blaxploitation" film that no one should miss.
This review of Shaft (1971) was written by Ryan M on 04 Dec 2007.
Shaft has generally received positive reviews.
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