After the wave of civil rights movements and protests throughout the 1960s, a new wave of influence began to emerge. Despite Hollywood being a massive enterprise, various independent productions were able to nab the spotlight. For Shaft (1971), it was the beginning of what some would remember as the era of blaxploitation films. It's even been considered the definitive movie of such a generation. What it's also best known for is being the beginning of Richard Roundtree's acting career. There's something about the setting and story that bring about a different world the audience may not have been familiar with. This kind of eye-opening experience is important for those who seek a new experience and want see their world through another lens. While it's not flawless, this action film has class and style.
The plot of the film is about private eye John Shaft (Richard Roundtree) being hired by mob boss Bumpy Jonas (Moses Gunn) to rescue his daughter after being mysteriously kidnapped. Being a wild card on the force, Shaft wants to work the case his own way. Only involving the department and his direct supervisor Vic (Charles Cioffi) when necessary. Otherwise, it’s Shaft’s way or no way. In his search, Shaft also teams up with Ben Buford (Christopher St. John) to find more about Bumpy’s daughter’s whereabouts. Lastly there’s Shaft’s girlfriend Ellie (Gwenn Mitchell) who supports him when possible. The script was written by John D. F. Black based on a novel from Ernest Tidyman. Black was a writer to various TV episodes like Star Trek & Charlie’s Angels. Tidyman the same year would write the screenplay to Robin Moore’s The French Connection novel.
What makes the narrative of Shaft so intriguing to watch is the way the main character holds himself and communicates with other individuals. Unfortunately, this is mainly based upon the focus of race and differences in culture. The reason why it’s unfortunate is that anything that focuses only on the color one’s skin can further alienate others. That’s not to say the film itself tells its audience only certain people should watch the film, but it does feel as though part of the film’s influence is in spite of the times. Then again many people could sympathize with that. In the end, any regular person should be treated equally. Either way, the execution of the film by Gordon Parks was well done. Before this, Parks also directed The Learning Tree (1969).
Character wise John Shaft stands out as the most charismatic private eye in a while. The character can lay down the wisecracks and get the job done. The way he dresses is smooth but also has a forceful presence. Credit to Richard Roundtree for his performance as it’s one that viewers today don’t see much of now. The dialog itself is almost extinct compared to what’s being used today. Nobody says “don’t jive me” or “stay loose” anymore. It’s phrases like these that could make a viewer long to experience days like those again. Coming in second for a great performance is Moses Gunn as Bumpy Jonas. While Gunn plays his character more straight faced, he still comes off just as serious and even shows a little humanity in spite of his mob role. All other cast members perform well too, but they don’t really show too much of their own uniqueness.
Cinematography by Urs Furrer was the other weak area to the film. Most certainly the reason is not that the film doesn’t look good or handled poorly. It’s just there wasn’t a whole lot to take in other than the darkly lit urban terrain that was Harlem. However, what is one of the best if not most well-known components to the feature is Isaac Hayes’ soundtrack to the film. The album, containing over an hour of music lights up the film with sounds from the 70s along with other rhythms and tunes that really make the title character have a memorable theme. Not to mention Hayes uses his voice in various tracks as well as composing motifs for Bumpy Jonas and even Ellie. It’s all one heck of collection that feels timeless considering the age of the music it came from.
Camerawork could’ve used some work and the social context behind the film is somewhat to be expected. However, the time it came from is what makes it so entertaining and special. The main characters are fun to watch thanks to the acting. The dialog will keep it audiences’ attention and so will the music due to influence from the time it originated from.
Points Earned --> 7:10
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