Directed by Tim Story
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Jessie T. Usher, Richard Roundtree
Rated R for pervasive language, violence, sexual content, some drug material and brief nudity
Shaft is the fifth film series of the Shaft series that originated in the 70’s. The film stars Samuel L. Jackson as John Shaft II, a private investigator in New York who helps his son, JJ (played by Jessie T. Usher), find what really happened to his best friend, who died under suspicious circumstances.
Samuel L. Jackson, plays Shaft, plays the same character he normally plays. He’s the tough guy who has to curse every other sentence but it works for a character like this. It is a character Jackson is used to playing and does it well. Jackson along with Usher are pretty funny with their silly one liners. I would say the film is more of a comedy than it is a action flick. I would say Jackson along with Richard Roundtree and Regina Hall are the ones who have the best one liners.
But with the film’s comedy being strong, the storytelling is weak. The plot is something we have seen multiple times and is a tad bit predictable but audiences are not seeing Shaft for the plot. In addition to the weak plot, some of the acting is presented poorly. Some of the villains act like generic villains that we have seen multiple times. Replace the actors who play the villains and nothing is added to the story. The lack of villain as well is underwhelming. The forgettable villain does not appear until the third act and only appears for a mere few minutes.
Overall Shaft is a fun comedy-action film that audiences will have a good time with. Is Shaft a bad film? Well, no but it is not necessarily a good film either. Should the film be watched in a theater? Probably not, Shaft is better viewed at home when it is available on Netflix or other streaming services. Shaft is a funny guilty pleasure that many will surely have a relaxing time with, I would check it out if it is available on rental anytime soon.
3/4
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