Review of Shaft's Big Score! (1972) by Chris W — 17 Dec 2010

Hmm, where to start? Well, I want to give this an extra half star, but I can't in the end feel totally justified doing that. This sequel has a higher budget (which shiows), more action, and Parks seems to be more comfortable with his direction. owever, the plot is all over the place, doesn't make too much sense, and the title is a little misleading (the score isn't that big). Also, this was a quick cash in (or at least feels like it) because it doesn't seem as well thoguht out as its predecessor.

The film is longer, so that's cool because you get to see more of ROundtree being awesome, but there's also some slow parts that mess with the pacing.This still has many noir/detective elements to it, but it also has a ton more James Bond type stuff (minus the gadgets). It's got some good action sequences, and some nice set pieces.

The music is also really good, and may be the thing I enjoyed most. Isaac Hayes only contributes one song, but even then, the music is amazing. The camera work is nice, and there's a few good bits of comedy, but I would have appreciated the inclusion of more subtext/substance.

This is a fun and decent sequel despite its shortcomings.