Picasso is quoted as having said you either do it first or you do it better.'Shaft', directed by the great Gordon Parks, does it first and leaves for succeeding generations to do it better, Later on, in 'Devil in a Blue Dress', we see Easy Rawlins as a more fully developed Bogart-like characterization. But one can easily make the case that this film broke the ground for the African American male in the private eye genre.The 'Bad ------' as a mythic heroic figure has been with us for a long time. He is found in folklore as High John De Conqueror and another figure who is sung about in blues songs named Stag-o-lee. 'High John' laughs a lot and is playful and somewhat happy-go-lucky, but when you cross him he will not hesitate to go for his guns. 'Stag-o-lee' does not clown around. He just goes for his guns and send you straight to - 'hush yo' mouth - '! All my life I heard tales about this 'Bad ------'; mostly from my folks when talking about a relative or an Uncle who was wrapped less tightly than the rest of us. He usually possessed a hair-trigger temper and was not adverse to beating down half a dozen burly whites before being torn in half and thrown into the Mississippi River. You could also slap a nickle off his fingertip and lose your life in the process. Richard Wright attempted to write about this personality type in his novel 'Native Son', but choked when it came to having his protagonist confront white males as representatives of the White Power Structure. This is what a real 'Bad ------' cuts his teeth on. A subtler version of this character is known as Ananzi the Spiderman, who shares attributes with the Greek hero Odysseus; but looming behind them all is one of the baddest 'Bad ------' types who ever lived, Shaka Zulu, but this is not the time or the place to discuss HIM. Meanwhile, truth was proving to be stranger than fiction as a myriad of 'Bad ------' types were being generated out of the Civil Rights Movement and the Revolution for Black Self Determination. Perhaps most prominent among these figures were Muhammud Ali and Malcolm X.This is not to discount the fact that Gordon Parks could be easily classed as a 'Bad ------' in his own right. This becomes quite evident in one of his autobiographies, 'A Choice of Weapons'. But it is important to understand how 'Shaft', along with Melvin Van Peebles 'Sweet Sweetback's Badass Song' and 'Superfly' came out of the highly charged cultural upheavals of the sixties and seventies. The impact of 'Shaft' depends to a certain extent on understanding it in context with its times and is definitely enriched should you have lived through the period as I have done.This period of cultural foment is so highly charged nobody seems to notice that one of the characters; Bumpy Jonas' daughter, actually has not one line of dialog in 'Shaft'! She is the object of the search and rescue mission conducted by private eye John Shaft and yet besides some moaning and sobbing, we find out absolutely nothing about her.The truth is Gordon Parks' 'Shaft' lacks an exposition or at best an inciting incident where we see the actual kidnapping of Marcy; Bumpy Jonas' daughter. Since we're making comparisons between John Shaft and Sam Spade, it would not have hurt him to have an attractive Gal Friday holding down the fort at the office. The lovemaking scene between Shaft and his main squeeze probably would have also gone better near the beginning of the movie. It would not have hurt also to show Bumpy's gang attempting to rescue Marcy unsuccessfully before hiring Shaft and then bringing in Isaac Hayes' theme music. It is also a mystery why the hit men after Shaft don't have a photograph of him or physical description of some kind to go by as they seek him out. I also think the first confrontation between Shaft, Bumpy's daughter and the mob should have probably been all dialog. What redeemed this film for me was the convoluted and well thought out Endgame that Shaft and his cohorts execute upon the kidnappers. When Shaft successfully pulls this off and gives the Police Lieutenant Vic Androzzi his High John De Conqueror laugh, I still feel a palpable thrill. After that, he strides off too cool for school as Isaac Hayes' Oscar winning Theme Music takes us into the credits.

I saw this film when it came out. It was "different" and hence garnered attention from the movie going populace normally being fed mainstream private eye films. I didn't like it at the time but I went to the cinema with a girl I fancied and told her I liked it - as she seemed to find the film entertaining. (or did she just give that impression because she was trying to please me??) Just for old time's sake, I watched it the other night. 42 years had indeed changed my view - I detested the film! Wooden acting, desperately bad screenplay and plot. Cheap, nasty, depressing sets and photography. Everyone and his dog spitting out surly one liners that did little more than irritate. How on earth did this train wreck ever get any traction? The director, actors and everyone else involved in Shaft should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. I now realize why it was entitled "Shaft"; the movie going public got shafted. - and yes, that was a surly one-liner.. UGH! UGH! and double UGH!

I'm always weary of watching films that are revered or perceived as being seminal. Not because any criticism I have will be ignored but because what flaws are there are easily over-looked in the face of the film's stature - no-one complains about the Venus De Milo having no arms, after all. In movie terms, this is a film that is all about breaking barriers - the first successful blaxploitation movie, it was this film (and its iconic soundtrack) that fuelled an entire genre of cinema and led to two sequels, a TV series and even a recent reboot - such is the reverence that "Shaft" is held in. However, in the cold light of day and ignoring such feelings, it's interesting to note that it is actually a pretty average film albeit one with an astonishing soundtrack.Richard Roundtree plays John Shaft, a cool-cat private eye working the seedy streets of New York City. After encountering two goons in his office (and sending one of them to the sidewalk via a window), Shaft finds himself in the employ of local crime boss Bumpy Jonas (Moses Gunn) who hires Shaft to locate his missing daughter. Reluctantly, Shaft takes on the case and soon finds himself in all sorts of trouble with the Mafia who are muscling in on Bumpy's turf. Not only that but Shaft is tailed by homicide detective and occasional buddy Vic (Charles Cioffi) who is convinced that there is more going on than Shaft is prepared to tell him...There is a curiously low-budget feel to "Shaft" that I wasn't expecting, highlighted by the near-constant over-dubbing of Shaft and other characters' dialogue. The action, when it does come, is also not filmed very well by director Gordon Parks - his strength seems to be in building atmosphere and there are times when the air hangs heavy with expectation such as the fantastic opening scene. Roundtree is the ultimate bad mother-f*****, making what might have been an ordinary character into one for the ages. He is almost impossibly cool and with Isaac Hayes' legendary soundtrack pulsating in the background, you can't help but fall in love with the film. All the other actors can do is bask in Roundtree's glory and to be fair, they all do their part. The story might look and feel like a classic (or should they be clichéd) film noir and initially, I was struggling to find interest in it. But something curious happened - I suddenly found myself paying more attention to it and getting involved. Digging it, if you will.In a lot of ways, it reminded me of the first "Star Wars" in that here is a film that isn't that well made in parts and at times, isn't that entertaining but slowly and surely, you fall in love with it. You have to give it respect for its legacy if nothing else but also because it helped to break down racial barriers that had existed in Hollywood for so long. Here was a film where almost all the principal characters and actors were black and the film was still successful, flying in the face of studio expectation or cynical critics. This is a deeply cool movie to watch and even better to listen to - it's also better than the Samuel L Jackson version a few years back because this feels like the genuine article and it is, of course. Not every day that Sammy J comes second in a cool contest but on this occasion, "Shaft" really is the man. Looks like I've proved my own point...

I dedicate this comment and all this typed work to the memory of Isaac Hayes 1942-2008. This is some mother of a police gangster movie ever made, in my eyes. John Shaft has a "Don't Mess With Me" attitude, for example, we see him just walking across the road as if there where no cars on it, Taxis are trying to get by him, and he just says "Get out of my way" and when the Taxi drivers hoot he sticks his finger up at then and says "Up yours" charming I thought. Also I should mention poor Bumpy, because Shaft, tosses his son out the upstairs window, Bumpy says "He threw my son out of the the god dam window" and The tune brilliantly composed by Issac Hayes "Bumpy's Lament also had me in tears a bit! I also like the tune Cafe Reggios, this tune if you want to do an air guitar then this is the best tune to do it to, as Mike Toles on electric guitar on this tune is very guitar predominant. I also like it when Shaft's boss says to him "where are you going to whom shaft replies "I'm gonna get laid" laughing. I also like the bit when that man tries to sell Shaft a watch he says"Timepiece brother? then shaft produces his badge and the man says goodbye brother" I also like the bit when Shaft in the bar posing as a barman says to those two men "where are my manners, I have not introduced myself, my name is John shaft Freeze" and shows them his badge again. This is Issac Hayes best works, and he will be surely missed I also think that a lot of you who read this, will agree. It was not until 1976, that I first heard Issac Hayes music with the single Disco connection I also like the tune no name bar. I have the CD and the album and the cassette of the Shaft soundtrack I also think that who ever reads this, should now start buying Isaac's back catalogue if you like that kind of music R.I.P. Issac Hayes. 1942-2008.