Shaft (2000 film)
| Shaft | |
 Theatrical Release Poster |
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| Directed by | John Singleton |
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| Produced by | Mark Roybal Scott Rudin Eric Steel |
| Written by | Ernest Tidyman (novel) John Singleton Shane Salerno Richard Price |
| Starring | Samuel L. Jackson Vanessa L. Williams Jeffrey Wright Christian Bale Busta Rhymes Dan Hedaya Ruben Santiago-Hudson Josef Sommer Lynne Thigpen with Toni Collette Philip Bosco Pat Hingle Lee Tergesen Daniel Von Bargen Sonja Sohn Peter McRobbie and Richard Roundtree Cameo appearances: Mekhi Phifer |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | June 16, 2000 (USA) |
| Running time | 99 min. |
| Language | English Spanish |
| Budget | $44,000,000 US (est.) |
Shaft is a 2000 action-crime film directed by John Singleton, and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Toni Collette, Busta Rhymes, Vanessa L. Williams, Jeffrey Wright, Mekhi Phifer and Christian Bale. This film is technically not a remake of the 1971 film of the same name, but rather a sequel, since it features Richard Roundtree briefly reprising his role as the original John Shaft. Jackson's John Shaft character is the nephew of the original John Shaft[1]. The film received fairly positive reviews and opened #1 at the box office when it debuted.
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Plot
NYPD Detective John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) is called in to investigate the racially motivated murder of Trey Howard (Mekhi Phifer), committed by Walter Wade Jr. (Christian Bale), the son of a wealthy real estate tycoon. Shaft briefly meets a potential eyewitness to the murder, Diane Palmieri (Toni Collette), but she disappears soon after and cannot be found for the trial. Wade Jr. is let off on bail and flees to Switzerland.
Two years later, Wade Jr. returns and Shaft rearrests him for leaving the country. During his temporary incarceration at police headquarters, Wade Jr. meets Peoples Hernandez (Jeffrey Wright), a Dominican drug lord. Wade Jr., his passport relinquished, is let off on bail again, and in frustration Shaft resigns from the police force, promising to bring Wade Jr. to justice on his own terms. Worried that Shaft might find the missing eyewitness, Wade Jr. hires Peoples to find and kill her first.
Shaft continues his search for Diane, enlisting the help of his friends Detective Carmen Vasquez (Vanessa L. Williams) and taxi driver Rasaan (Busta Rhymes). While visiting Diane's uncooperative mother, Shaft and Carmen realise they're being followed by officers Jack Roselli (Dan Hedaya) and Jimmy Groves (Ruben Santiago-Hudson), who have been paid by Peoples to follow Shaft and get to Diane.
Shaft manages to find Diane Palmieri, but before they can talk, they are attacked by Peoples's men. In the shootout, Shaft kills Peoples's younger brother. Shaft, Diane, Rasaan and Diane's brother manage to escape to Rasaan's apartment, but they are followed by Roselli and Groves. While at the apartment, Diane confesses that she saw the entire murder, and took money for her silence.
When Peoples arrives at the location, another shootout takes place. Roselli and Groves, outed as corrupt, are killed by Carmen. In a face-off between Shaft and Peoples, Peoples insinuates that he's been working for Wade, and Shaft kills him.
Wade Jr.'s trial finally arrives. Before it can begin, he is shot in the chest by Trey's mother, Carla Howard (Lynne Thigpen), and dies on the spot.
The film ends with a scene in the police station, where Shaft reiterates to Carmen that he prefers to be a private detective. A woman arrives, asking for Shaft to help her, claiming to have an abusive boyfriend. Shaft is initially reluctant, but when he sees her injury, he decides to help her anyway.
Cast
- Samuel L. Jackson as John Shaft
- Vanessa L. Williams as Carmen Vasquez
- Jeffrey Wright as Peoples Hernandez
- Christian Bale as Walter Wade, Jr.
- Busta Rhymes as Rasaan
- Dan Hedaya as Jack Roselli
- Toni Collette as Diane Palmieri
- Richard Roundtree as Uncle John Shaft
- Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Jimmy Groves
- Josef Sommer as Curt Flemming
- Lynne Thigpen as Carla Howard
- Philip Bosco as Walter Wade, Sr.
- Pat Hingle as Judge Dennis Bradford
- Lee Tergesen as Luger
- Daniel von Bargen as Lt. Kearney
- Mekhi Phifer as Trey Howard
The director of the original Shaft, Gordon Parks, appears in a cameo at the Lenox Lounge party as "Mr. P," as a homage by director John Singleton to the original film.
Soundtrack
A soundtrack containing hip hop and R&B music was released on June 6, 2000 by LaFace Records. It peaked at #22 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
References
External links
- Shaft at Rotten Tomatoes
- Shaft at Box Office Mojo
- Shaft at the Internet Movie Database
| Preceded by Gone in Sixty Seconds |
Box office number-one films of 2000 (USA) June 18, 2000 |
Succeeded by Me, Myself & Irene |
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