If there was anyone who could step into the Shaft franchise and have it be a seamless and wholly organic Shaft shift from Richard Roundtree, it was who donned the black outfits and walked the walk in 2000’s sequel/reboot. Samuel L. Jackson has been a modern day Shaft in terms of his persona since he first started gracing screens. As one of those who appreciated the dawn of the century, Jackson-starring Shaft, anticipation was high for a reunion/introduction that was 19 years in the making—especially given its pedigree on paper.
Shaft (2019) is out now on Blu-Ray, DVD and digital download formats and finds not simply Roundtree and Jackson returning to the family business (and business is good), but we also get introduced to the third generation of badassery with Jessie T. Usher’s arrival as JJ Shaft. Oh, did we mention that the always awesome and affable Regina Hall stars as Usher’s onscreen mother, aka Shaft’s calls it like it is ex. Toss in the fact that Tim Story is behind the camera, he of the Think Like a Man and Ride Along movies, and the potential for something seriously entertaining is high.
Is it? It’s advertised as an “action comedy” and rarely do studios expertly characterize the genre and subgenre of their flicks, but this time out, Warner Bros. has nailed it because that’s what this Shaft is all about—breathtaking action sequences with stylish panache coupled with an air of not taking itself too seriously, aka comedic undertones permeate.
In Shaft, JJ, aka John Shaft Jr. (Usher), returns to his father’s world (something we get the impression he hasn’t been around much) when his best bud dies from a heroin overdose. He knows better. His friend was murdered. The youngest Shaft is a cyber expert, with a freshly minted degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and he doesn’t know where to start to find justice. The cops are no help (yet). So, father and son (and grandfather) go into their native Harlem locked and loaded and ready to get answers to the family’s youngest’s inquiries into how his BFF perished.
Did I mention that JJ is an FBI analyst nowadays? Think that might clash with his pop and grandpops’ traditional modus operandi?
The film is fun, yet it is hard to separate one aspect. Shaft in the seventies and even in 2000 could exist as a dated, self-aware relic when it comes to relationships with women. He, for lack of a better phrase, suffers from a little toxic masculinity syndrome. See, we live in a time when films like Brad Pitt’s Ad Astra looks as the plot element in a manner that illustrates that the sentiment could even result in the end of the universe. But Shaft is never going to apologize for being Shaft. James Bond doesn’t, does he? If you are able to enjoy a film for what it is, especially an artistic work that doesn’t even try to shy away from or apologize for its landscape, the latest Shaft will be as enjoyable as expected.
Playing off the lyrics of the iconic theme song, Can Ya Did It? The Making of Shaft is an informative, albeit not too heavy, look at the behind-the-scenes effort to bring a triple Shaft threat to the big screen. Insight from Story, and his titanic trio of Shafts, is spot-on, revelatory and a joy to witness. Add in writer Kenya Barris’ thoughts and its as succinct and informative as featurettes come currently. Yet again, whether onscreen or on a behind-the-scenes moment such as this, Hall steals the show.
Featuring actors making mistakes is usually good fun, albeit too often a stretch to really add up the minutes on the bonus features. With the Shaft home vid, the almost five minute Gag Reel is made all the better with its intertwining of some classic soundtrack sizzle.
Taking on the history of Shaft head-on, A Complicated Man: The Shaft Legacy is a three-part expose on the cultural legend from a trio of terrific angles—A Bad Mother Born, No Questions Asked and A Legend of His Time. Each clock in at about a quarter-hour, so all told its 45 minutes is the perfect length to explore, learn and yes … even be entertained. With elements covered varied, including the Ernest Tidyman original book, it is a rich legacy chronicling timeline.
Film Grade: B
Bonus Features: B+