Shaft
The thought of seeing Samuel L. Jackson step into the title role of the classic blaxpoitation flick Shaft might be all you need to place the updated version of Shaft on your must-see list. Unfortunately, the film is only mildly successful, although that's not to be blamed on the always-stellar Jackson. The real root of the movie's problem is that director John Singleton, still trying to reach the heights of his landmark debut Boyz In The Hood, can't decide what kind of a film he wants to make. The result is a movie that works in some areas but not others.
The plot centers on the murder of a black youth by an arrogant racist named Walter Wade (Christian Bale) who thinks he can get away with anything on account of his wealthy, powerful father. Shaft takes umbrage at Bale's attitude, particularly when he gets off with an easy bail, and his outrage at the situation results in his removal from the police force..
Shaft is determined that justice be served, and he works to track down a waittress (Toni Collette) that he believes witnessed the murder and can help put Wade in the slammer. Along the way, Shaft also butts heads with a memorable Latino druglord named Peoples Hernandez (Jeffrey Wright), who has both personal and business reasons for wanting to bring Shaft down.
Unfortunately, Singleton can't decide whether to make a vintage blaxpoitation homage to the original Shaft or a semiserious drama with racial overtones, and the resulting effort is not always successful, particularly in the movie's second half. It's here that the film descends into over-the-top violence, punctuated by a ridiculous chase scene in which dozens of bullets are shot at Shaft without a single one hitting its mark. This would be fine if the movie had established itself as a freewheeling, dumb-but-fun action shoot-'em up. But the film's more serious questions of race and justice make the action less fun, more dumb.
Speaking of race, the screenplay - which was apparently a source of dissention between screenwriter Richard Price (Clockers), Jackson and Singleton - skims the surface of race relations without probing beneath it. Again, that might be fine with a lesser cast and director, but knowing the intelligence that Singleton and Price bring to the project makes it all the more disappointing.
Despite the movie's drawbacks, there's also a lot to like. The supporting cast is top-notch. Oscar nominee Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense) brings an unglamorous feel to her waitress role that fits the part well. Christian Bale, who provided a chilling portrait of a psychopath in this year's American Psycho, injects his one-dimensional racist with enough sneering panache to make him watchable. And Richard Roundtree (the original Shaft) gets in a few licks of his own as he passes the baton to Jackson in a brief-but-fun role.
Best of all is Jeffrey Wright, who tears into the role of Peoples Hernandez with such gusto that he not only distinguishes himself from the bad-guy pack but has positioned himself as a dark-horse candidate for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. And Jackson, of course, brings the charisma and righteous indignation to the role that it needs.
Although it's a decent film with some likeable moments, Shaft may leave you feeling let down in its violent second half: It's not quite enough fun to be a guilty pleasure, but too over-the-top to make the grade as serious drama.
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Some wild action scenes may tempt you to tilt the bottle, but this doesn't quite make the grade as a boozing classic.
Although Shaft memorably boasts, "It's my duty to please the booty," the film never gives him the opportunity to pop into Mac-Daddy mode.
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