Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Cool Black private eye John Shaft is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.
Shaft is a landmark of blaxploitation cinema that earns its high Novelty score for being a genuinely singular cultural moment — its swagger, attitude, Isaac Hayes' iconic score, and the unapologetically assertive Black protagonist were unlike anything mainstream Hollywood had produced. Acting is solid with Richard Roundtree owning the role completely. Cinematography captures a gritty, vivid New York with style. The plot itself is fairly thin — a straightforward kidnapping rescue — and the ending resolves things efficiently but without much impact or surprise.