Shaft (2019)

[Sam Favate]

Title: Shaft (2019)

Genre: Action, Crime

Director: Tim Story

Cast: Jessie Usher, Samuel L. Jackson, Richard Roundtree, Alexandra Shipp, Regina Hall, Matt Lauria, Avan Jogia, Lauren Vélez, Method Man, Tashiana Washington, Isaach De Bankolé, Chivonne Michelle, Almeera Jiwa, Ian Casselberry, George Lott, Aaron Dominguez, Kenny Barron, Leland L. Jones, Nyah Marie Johnson, Jessica Medina, Sylvia Jefferies, Athena Akers, Mike Dunston

Release: 2019-06-14

Plot: Shaft is the next chapter in the film franchise featuring the coolest private eye on any New York City block. JJ, aka John Shaft Jr. (Usher), may be a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, but to uncover the truth behind his best friend’s untimely death, he needs an education only his dad can provide. Absent throughout JJ’s youth, the legendary locked-and-loaded John Shaft (Jackson) agrees to help his progeny navigate Harlem’s heroin-infested underbelly. And while JJ’s own FBI analyst’s badge may clash with his dad’s trademark leather coat, there’s no denying family. Besides, Shaft’s got an agenda of his own, and a score to settle that’s professional and personal.

I confess I wasn't aware this was coming out until about a month ago, but the trailer was released today and it looks like a lot of fun. Three generations of Shaft. You can't go wrong with that cast.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Sam,

I edited your post to include the new format for movie threads. I didn't know about this film until last night when I was surfing YouTube. I thought the trailer was pretty funny.

 

[TravisR]

Forget The Avengers, this is the movie of the summer for me.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I didn't realize this was going to be a comedy, but it's probably a smarter choice than trying to play it straight. It's Richard Roundtree appears to be playing a bigger role in this one than the 2000 movie.

And it's hilarious that three out of the five movies in this franchise have the same title (four out of six if you count the 70s TV series).

 

[Robert Crawford]

Thanks to A-List, I saw this today and laughed my butt off throughout the film. An enjoyable film that I'll buy either on disc or stream depending if 4K/UHD is offered.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Terrible movie. Homophobic, misogynistic, bigoted macho crap that seemed shockingly out of touch with the current social environment.

Even without those flaws, it's just a poorly made movie, The plot makes little to no sense, and the whole thing bumbles along without any purpose whatsoever.

The 2000 "Shaft" was terrible also. Never saw the 1970s films, but hopefully this 2019 atrocity will end the franchise for good...

 

[Patrick Sun]

From the "movie pass, a-list, etc" thread:

I laughed while watching "Shaft", though it's a silly film overall. SLJ's bits were mined from an era that isn't PC anymore, but still fun in a wink-wink kind of way.

 

[Robert Crawford]

From the "movie pass, a-list, etc" thread:

I laughed while watching "Shaft", though it's a silly film overall. SLJ's bits were mined from an era that isn't PC anymore, but still fun in a wink-wink kind of way.

That's why it was funny to me as I know it must have upset some people to see and listen to those bits.

 

[Sam Favate]

Finally saw this (on blu-ray) and thought it was terrific fun. I haven't laughed as much at a film in a long time. You probably do have to have an appreciation for the blaxploitation genre that gave birth to the original Shaft, but it also reminded me of an 80s buddy picture. I thought the script was clever - making JJ a millennial that Jackson's Shaft could gripe about was a good move, and set apart the generation gap nicely, creating plenty of humorous moments. It was nice to see Richard Roundtree (even if it was only in the last 20 minutes) and to have him (finally) be playing Jackson's father (even if he's only 6 years older than Jackson). I thought Regina Hall stole the show a number of times, and Alexandra Shipp was good too.

Samuel L. Jackson's had perhaps the best year of his career: major co-starring roles in Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home, a cameo in Avengers: Endgame, the biggest movie ever, and a starring role in Shaft. Glad to see he shows no signs of slowing down. He's still a powerhouse.