Shaft (2000, DVD)

Everyone knows of Shaft - the private detective that got the women, got the crooks, and generally was too cool be on the screen. I hear people quote Isaac Hayes' memorable theme song all the time (and quite poorly, may I add). It was no-brainer that someone would try to make a new Shaft movie, because clearly this movie would make some serious money. So I went to see it, expecting something I didn't quite get.

Of course, the movie starts off with the memorable theme song. Isaac Hayes' "Theme from Shaft" blares out in beautiful stereo, and fans of the original will notice that this theme is much nicer than the original. Hayes has touched it up without losing any of that funky cool that made the original theme such a hit. He even kept the same lyrics, so anyone who did see the original "Shaft" can even sing along.

However, while the theme grooves along, you're treated to an opening montage that looks directly ripped off from the Bond movies. You see regular flashes of a detective's gear (pistol, handcuffs, etc.) while color flashes reminiscent of Bond openers flash across the screen. You know, initially, Shaft was "hotter than Bond," to quote the original movie's posters, he didn't need to emulate him. The original movie's montage of Shaft walking through New York City gave Shaft a much more human feel. You get immediately from the opening credits montage that while some of the great things about Shaft are going to be better than ever, some things just won't be able to compare.

The movie begins when Shaft arrives on the scene of an upscale club, where a pretty, rich white boy just beat a black patron to death with a large metal pole. However, since he is a rich man's son, he easily posts bail and skips out of the country. Shaft, Jr., played by the large screen presence of Samuel L. Jackson, is a police detective at this time, but after not one but two bail postings by the murderer, he quits the force to become a private detective, and thus making the theme song not obsolete.

One main problem with the characters in this film is that they are so flat and two-dimensional. The good guys are so good, they're pristine. Shaft is Shaft, of course, and a bunch of the NYPD officers that were his coworkers are still willing to help him out, even ones that Shaft had arguments with in the past. Of course, all of the drug dealers are big villains, and they are violent thugs that only want Shaft's blood. Even the two cops on the take from the drug dealers are complete rip-offs - right down to the race and attitudes, they are clones of the two feds from "Grosse Pointe Blank." Now, it could be just me, but a big part of the appeal of the original Shaft was that he didn't just copy a genre, he made one.

Then there is the thorny issue of Shaft himself. Actually, there are two Shafts - Samuel L. Jackson is today's Shaft, out looking for justice, while Richard Roundtree reprises his role as the original Shaft, who is the uncle of Jackson's character. The scenes with the two Shafts clearly highlight the problems with the movie. Richard Roundtree slips back into Shaft like a comfortable glove, and except with a bit of greying in the hair, he's still the same private dick that found Bumpy's daughter nearly 30 years ago. While the elder Shaft had attitude and smarts, he also had style, which made the original movie such a great view. (Sample lines, between a police detective and Shaft: "What did you get, Shaft?" "I got laid.") While Jackson's Shaft definitely has the attitude to burn, he seriously lacks the style, and some of the brains, that Roundtree has. The few scenes with Roundtree are easily taken by the elder Roundtree (but not elder by much - Jackson is only 6 years younger than Roundtree).

The brains question comes up best when it comes to the lines both had. Roundtree had flair, and he had wit. He was also an expert of when to say something clever, silly, or just plain sharp. Jackson, clearly feeling pressure to deliver some bon mots, just can't put the same whiplash on his words. About the best line is going to become the most overused pickup line of the summer: "It's my duty to please that booty." Beyond that, this movie just doesn't generate quotes like the original.

Essentially, this is Jackson's greatest problem: he brings too much of himself into the role. This Shaft is perfectly willing to get medievil on anyone, and is much more rash than the original Shaft. This isn't an age issue - the original Shaft was a young, vibrant man who still had everything under control. This isn't quite Shaft; it's Jules (Jackson's character in "Pulp Fiction") walking around with Shaft's name. The differing philosophies are apparent - while Roundtree showed his power by being able to control it (but just barely - you could see it in him), Jackson shows it by using it. Consequently, this movie is much more violent than the original. And, interestingly enough, much less sexual - no sex scenes are shown except during the opening credits, and it's only suggested that Shaft gets any once. So much for being a sex machine.

The plot winds down rather predictably. Every minor bad guy in the movie gets killed by Shaft or friends at the police, and he gets to bring the major bad guy to trial. I won't spoil the ending except to say that the end isn't as satisfying as you'd like. Shaft doesn't get control in this one, and it underscores everything about this Shaft that's different from three decades ago - this Shaft is no longer in control.

Perhaps the worst bungling of the movie comes in what seemed to be such well-cast parts. Richard Roundtree is as cool as ever, but apparently they didn't want him to upstaging Jackson left and right, so he doesn't appear in as many scenes as he could have. Also, Busta Rhymes appears as a streetwise buddy to Shaft, but all you really get to see of him is Rhymes as an over-glorified chauffeur. His manic performance was highly enjoyable, and they should have given him much more to do, as well as some insight into his character.

Undoubtedly, this movie will do well, and it will have a sequel. When that day comes, I seriously hope they fix some of the problems his movie had. Shaft is a great intellectual property, and to see it so mangled was disappointing. While it's still an interesting watch, I think that if you really want Shaft, you'll go down to the video store and watch the magnificent version that was originally produced years ago. Hopefully, Jackson will learn next time when to say his zingers, and when to shut his mouth, because we're talking about Shaft, baby.