Shaft
Cue the Isaac Hayes theme. I wanted to see this for a while. For whatever reason, the trailer just hit the right notes for me. It had the nostalgia factor, an updated Shaft theme, and looked more comedic. I needed to see it. The fact that the film is able to incorporate three generations of Shaft’s and provide a modern telling of this series, I thought it was done very well. I had a good time with this film all around. Its a fun time at the cinema and is exactly what it needed to be.
John Shaft Jr. is an FBI data analyst whose friend dies of a mysterious overdose. He goes to investigate but then decides to enlist the help of his estranged father. Together they try to crack the case which runs deeper than they think all while rekindling the bond that they never shared years before. Also, watch out for original Shaft, Richard Roundtree. Jessie T. Usher pretty much takes center stage here with assistance from the always foul mouthed Samuel L. Jackson.
A lot of the humorous scenes are given away in the trailer but I still found most of the film to be entertaining and funny. I think Usher adds that real and awkward element to the mix. In reality he is the embodiment of most men of this generation. I thought Samuel L. Jackson was in good form for this. A lot of the humor in this kind of pokes the bear of modern youngsters and things they may get offended by, so it might require a light heart. I’m just glad I enjoyed it as much as I wanted to.
This needed to be a comedy. A pure action film would not have worked nearly as well. I think Jessie Usher has a certain charm to him and a compatibility with Jackson that makes it a fun ride. I don’t think the plot is fleshed out as well and is a little too layered for a film of this elk. Its fine though because when it matters most the newest Shaft is a worthy and nostalgic addition into the series.
7/10
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