Shaft (2000)

                Anyone familiar with the original 1971 Shaft would immediately recognize the soundtrack behind the opening credits and bring certain expectations to their viewing experience of the film.  For those who are looking for the same, streetwise, no-nonsense detective, the movie is satisfying.  As Jeffry Anderson says in his review, “This is the movie where Shaft (Jackson) is a bad mutha (hush your mouth!!!) and can kick any butt in the room”.  However, for those expecting another film critiquing racism, this film came up short.

                While it is certainly true that racism is central to the film because the crime in question was committed by an angry bigot in retaliation for a black man embarrassing him in front of his friends, there are far less subtle hints that I noticed which commented on racism, such as the taxi example in the earlier Shaft.  Singleton certainly had the opportunity to go even further in his film’s comment on racism in that this film not only placed blacks in the role of minority, but Hispanics as well, creating what seemed to be a minority majority in the racial makeup of characters.  One would think that this would allow for an even more complex discourse on race, but unfortunately Singleton decide not to take advantage of it.  This is not to say that there is absolutely no comment on racism, but that after the initial scenes concerning the hate crime, it is not as heavily disputed as it may have been.  There was one other moment which stood out to me concerning a comment on the difference in socio-economic status between whites and the minorities in the film.  This moment takes place when Peoples, a Hispanic drug dealer and gangster, asks that Wade pay him back for his services by gaining him upscale customers.  The viewers are well aware of Wade’s wealth, as well as his strong racist sentiments, which confirm that Peoples wamts wealthy white customers to expand his business.  This desire was striking because of its great importance to him.

                Aside from the film’s somewhat unsatisfactory dealings with racism, it was extremely satisfactory as an action film.  I would have to agree with Anderson’s assertion that Jackson’s Shaft exceeds Roundtree’s in his ability to kick butt.  Roundtree’s character is a good shot, but he also takes a bullet himself, whereas Jackson’s character kills many more people, rarely missing his mark, and never receives blows himself.  Concerning the sexual prowess of the two characters, Jackson immediately appears to exhibit this; the opening credits show a kind of sex scene juxtaposed with images of guns, bullets, police badges, and of course, Shaft, decked out in sunglasses and a well-fitting leather jacket.  He is also directly solicited by a friend of his after a surprise party held in his honor.  Roundtree’s Shaft is even more of a womanizer, as solidified by the fact that his character in the remake goes home with not only one, but two women after the party.

                There are many subtle differences between the two films.  The opening scenes and credits certainly are one of these.  As I said, the second film begins with the juxtaposition of several different images as opposed to the beginning of the first Shaft which shows him walking through the streets of New York, confident and cool.  This scene is mirrored at two other points during the remake.  After punching Wade and leaving the crime scene near the beginning of the film, Shaft walks the wrong way down the middle of a two-lane, one-way street, showing both his self-assurance, and his willingness to break the rules.  Also, at the very end of the film (which, like the beginning, prominently utilizes the original theme music), the camera follows the car that Shaft is in through the city which is an interesting parallel to the 1971 film’s first scene.

                One final difference which incorporates both the racial issues and action in the film is the fact that this new Shaft is initially a police officer, working directly with the law, before he decides to follow in his uncle’s footsteps as a private investigator.  After he quits his job, Jackson’s Shaft ruefully tells Roundtree’s that he is “too black for the uniform, too blue for the brothers.”  He knows how to work with people of both races, but still feels the difficulty of his own place in society  because of this understanding.  While I found this line to be especially powerful, I think it is very important to consider Anderson’s statement: “While it's refreshing to see a film openly discuss race, I wonder if an action film is the place to do it?”  Shaft does provoke one to consider racism, but the viewer is distracted from this theme by the sex, action, and violence onscreen.  Perhaps it would be best for directors to choose between moral messages and intense action.