Shaft (2000 film)
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Shaft | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | John Singleton |
Screenplay by | Richard Price John Singleton Shane Salerno |
Story by | John Singleton Shane Salerno |
Based on | Shaft by Ernest Tidyman |
Produced by | Scott Rudin John Singleton |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Donald E. Thorin |
Edited by | John Bloom Antonia Van Drimmelen |
Music by | David Arnold |
Production companies | Scott Rudin Productions New Deal Productions |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 99 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $46 million[1] |
Box office | $107.2 million[1] |
Shaft is a 2000 American action crime film directed by John Singleton and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa L. Williams, Jeffrey Wright, Christian Bale, Dan Hedaya, Busta Rhymes, Toni Collette and Richard Roundtree.
Although the film shares the same title as the 1971 film, it is a contemporary sequel with Jackson's John Shaft character being related to the earlier films' Shaft. The film received generally positive reviews and opened at the number-one position at the box office when it debuted June 16, 2000.
Plot[]
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In 1998, NYPD Detective John Shaft II, a relative of legendary private investigator John Shaft I, is called in to investigate the grievous assault of Trey Howard outside a restaurant. Shaft arrests Walter Wade Jr., the son of a wealthy real estate tycoon, after noticing blood on him and Wade claims he acted in self-defense. However, Trey's friend tells Shaft that when she and Trey entered the restaurant, Wade racially harassed him. Trey humiliated Wade in response and left the restaurant, and Wade followed after him. Shaft notices a waitress, Diane Palmieri, eyeing Wade and tries to coax a statement from her but she claims to have not witnessed anything and disappears from the scene. When Wade mocks Trey after he dies on the ambulance stretcher, Shaft punches him and is suspended and transferred to another precinct. Later, Wade phones Shaft to taunt him that because of the punch, he was granted bail on the homicide charge and has fled to Switzerland.
Two years later, Wade returns to the country and Shaft rearrests him. Shaft's friends throw him a celebratory party where the elder Shaft appears and warns him that Wade's wealth puts him at an advantage to beat the case. While temporarily detained at police headquarters, Wade befriends Peoples Hernandez, a Dominican drug lord whom Shaft previously arrested. At his bail hearing, the judge makes Wade relinquish his passport in exchange for being released on bail again; frustrated, Shaft resigns from the police force, promising to bring Wade to justice on his own terms. Worried that Shaft might find the missing eyewitness, Wade hires Peoples to find and kill her first.
Shaft continues searching for Diane, enlisting the help of his friends Detective Carmen Vasquez and taxi driver Rasaan. While visiting Diane's uncooperative mother, Shaft and Carmen realize they are being followed by officers Jack Roselli and Jimmy Groves, whom Peoples has promised a cut of the payment to follow Shaft and get to Diane. Disguised, Shaft and his former colleague, Detective Luger, rob Wade of the money he had gathered to pay Peoples' off by selling some of his deceased mother's 'exclusive' jewelry. They plant the money on Roselli and Groves to make Peoples think he is being double-crossed. However, Roselli and Groves spot Shaft fleeing the scene and realize they are being set up and resume tailing Shaft.
Shaft traces a number Diane's mother called and finds Diane being protected by her brothers Mike and Frank. Before they can talk, Peoples' gangbangers attack them. In the shootout, Shaft kills Peoples' younger brother and Mikey is injured. Shaft, Diane, Rasaan, and Frank take shelter at Rasaan's apartment, secretly followed by Roselli and Groves. While at the apartment, Diane admits seeing Wade murder Trey. Wade then made her keep silent in return for a payoff from Wade's father. Meanwhile, Peoples angrily attacks Wade over his brother's death.
Peoples and his gangbangers arrive at Rasaan's apartment but Shaft engages and kills most of them in a shootout and everyone flees through the fire escape. Roselli and Groves try to kill Shaft but Carmen comes up behind them and she kills the corrupt officers at Shaft's command. The shootout spills into the city streets where Shaft and Carmen kill the gangbangers but Rasaan's cab crashes alongside Peoples' vehicle. Peoples takes Diane hostage with an ice pick. Shaft puts his gun down and convinces Peoples not to do Wade's dirty work and instead to fight him individually. Peoples releases Diane and drops his ice pick, then feigns preparing to fight Shaft before drawing his gun from his back; Shaft pulls his backup gun and kills Peoples first.
Wade's trial finally arrives. Shaft tells Trey's mother, Carla Howard, that the trial will have a new judge, the D.A. as prosecutor, and an eyewitness. However, before the trial can begin, Carla guns down Wade on the courthouse steps and she is arrested. In the police station, Shaft reiterates to Carmen that he prefers to be a private detective. A woman arrives, asking Shaft for help filing assault charges against her abusive boyfriend. Shaft is initially reluctant, but when he sees her injury, he decides to help her via his methods. Shaft, along with John Shaft I and Rasaan, go together to confront the abusive boyfriend.
Cast[]
- Samuel L. Jackson as Detective John Shaft II
- Vanessa Williams as Detective Carmen Vasquez
- Jeffrey Wright as Peoples Hernandez
- Christian Bale as Walter Wade Jr.
- Dan Hedaya as Detective Jack Roselli
- Trevor Smith Jr. as Rasaan
- Toni Collette as Diane Palmieri
- Richard Roundtree as John Shaft I, the uncle[a] of this film's Shaft, and the protagonist of the previous films.
- Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Detective 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 Detective Luger
- Daniel von Bargen as Lieutenant Kearney
- Peter McRobbie as Lieutenant Cromartie
- Zach Grenier as Harrison Loeb
- Richard Cocchiaro as Frank Palmieri
- Ron Castellano as Mike Palmieri
- Mekhi Phifer as Trey Howard
- Sonja Sohn as Alice
- Andre Royo as 'Tattoo'
- Elizabeth Banks as Trey's Friend (as Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell)
- Gordon Parks as Lenox Lounge Patron
- Lanette Ware as Terry
- Bonz Malone as Malik
- Isaac Hayes as 'Mr. P.' (uncredited)
Casting[]
Will Smith, Wesley Snipes, and Don Cheadle were considered for the role of John Shaft II.[2] Singleton considered Lauryn Hill for the role of Carmen Vasquez.[3]
Release[]
Critical reception[]
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 67% based on 115 reviews, and an average rating of 6.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With a charismatic lead, this new Shaft knows how to push the right buttons."[4] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 50 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[5] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[6]
Box office[]
The film opened at the box office at #1 with $21.7 million; by the end of its run, Shaft had grossed $70.3 million in the domestic box office and $107.2 million worldwide, against a $46 million budget.[1]
Merchandise[]
In 2000, McFarlane Toys released a Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) action figure as part of their Movie Maniacs series three toy line. Accessories included are a handgun, sunglasses and a replica of the film's poster with a skulls and bones base.
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.
Sequel[]
Despite having an identical title, the 2019 film Shaft acts as a second remake-sequel to both this 2000 film and the originals starring Richard Roundtree. The 2019 release stars Jessie Usher as John "JJ" Shaft Jr, an FBI agent and the son of Samuel L. Jackson's character. Both Jackson and Roundtree reprise their roles as John Shaft II and John Shaft Sr., respectively, and the film retroactively reveals that Roundtree's character is actually the biological father of Jackson's John Shaft, mentioning that Shaft Sr. spent years pretending to be his uncle. Unlike the 2000 film and the 1970s trilogy, the 2019 installment received mixed reviews and failed at the box office.
References[]
Notes[]
- ^ The 2019 sequel retcons him into being Shaft II's biological father, the film mentioning that Shaft I had spent years pretending to be his uncle.
Footnotes[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Shaft at Box Office Mojo
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/film/interview/interviewpages/0,,364611,00.html
- ^ https://deadline.com/2019/05/john-singleton-shane-salerno-shaft-remenbrance-1202615877/amp/
- ^ Shaft at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ Shaft at Metacritic
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 14, 2018). "'Superfly' Buzzes To $1.2M In Wednesday Opening". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
External links[]
- Shaft official website at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
- Shaft at IMDb
- Shaft at AllMovie
- Shaft at Box Office Mojo
- Shaft at Rotten Tomatoes
- Shaft at Metacritic
- 2000 films
- English-language films
- Shaft (franchise)
- 2000 action thriller films
- 2000 crime thriller films
- American action thriller films
- American crime thriller films
- American films
- American sequel films
- African-American films
- Fictional portrayals of the New York City Police Department
- Films scored by David Arnold
- Films about drugs
- Films about race and ethnicity
- Films about racism
- Films based on American novels
- Films based on crime novels
- Films directed by John Singleton
- Films produced by Scott Rudin
- Films set in New York City
- Films shot in New York City
- Films shot in New Jersey
- Paramount Pictures films
- Films with screenplays by Richard Price (writer)
- Films with screenplays by John Singleton
- Spanish-language films