Shaft (Sequel) (2000)

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Christian Bale, Jeffrey Wright, Toni Collette, Busta Rhymes, Richard Roundtree, Vanessa Williams, Dan Hedaya, Mekhi Phifer, Lawrence Taylor, and Mr. Kruger from Seinfeld, with cameos from Elizabeth Banks, Isaac Hayes, John Singleton, and Gordon Parks
Grade: A

Word to the wise, if someone asks if you’re wearing a bullet proof vest, just say “Yes”.

Summary

In New York in 1998, the nephew of the iconic private detective in NYPD Det. John Shaft (Jackson) shows up to the crime scene of the severely injured Trey Howard (Phifer), who lays on the sidewalk with his head bashed in. Apparently, there aren’t any witnesses. Shaft goes into the restaurant where everyone was at and eyes waitress Diane Palmieri (Collette). She sees Shaft and tries to avoid eye contact directly with him until she directs her gaze towards Walter Wade Jr. (Bale) before looking down, subtly signaling him as to who’s responsible. Shaft walks over to Wade while Wade is on the phone and tells him to hang up, but Wade holds up his finger to tell him to wait. His finger has noticeable blood on it. Shaft hangs up the phone for him and asks where he got the blood from. Wade acts like he doesn’t know what he’s talking about until Shaft threatens him. As arrogantly as possible, Wade just tells him Trey started it and he finished it. As Shaft frisks him, Wade says he was messing with Trey, but Trey couldn’t take a joke. Wade claims he went outside to apologize to him, but he came at Wade with a bat. Shaft puts the cuffs on him while Wade claims self-defense. Shaft asks if anyone saw it, but Wade says it was just him and Trey. As they have this conversation, Diane overhears it and looks worried. There is visible blood on her jaw. Changing the subject, Wade brings up how powerful his father is, but Shaft doesn’t care and takes him into custody anyway. Shaft then goes over to talk to Diane privately. She denies having seen anything, but Shaft calls her out for the blood on her face. They are interrupted by another cop who tells Shaft they have another witness for him to talk to. Shaft tells the cop to keep Diane company, so he can see the other witness, Trey’s girlfriend. She’s teary-eyed and refers to Wade as a racist. In a flashback sequence, she details how Wade made racist jokes toward Trey when their friend group entered the place and kept going on with it when Trey was trying to ignore them.

As a response, Trey cut eye holes into a napkin and draped it over Wade’s face, making him look like a Ku Klux Klan member. It gets a big laugh from everyone, including Wade’s friends. Wade was visibly pissed off and embarrassed, and Trey stepped outside right after. Shaft chuckles at the story, appreciating how Trey handled the situation. With this, Shaft goes outside. Lt. Kearney (Daniel von Bargen) sees Shaft and is already annoyed. He was hoping Shaft wouldn’t be the primary on this case, but the cop tells him that he is. Shaft questions Wade while looking at his wallet. After Wade confirms he’s real estate developer “Big” Walter Wade Sr.’s (Philip Bosco) son, Shaft finds Diane’s driver’s license in Wade’s wallet. He accuses Wade of threatening her and goes back inside to talk to her. The cops that were supposed to be watching her tell Shaft she had to use the bathroom, so he runs over there only to find out that she fled the scene. As Shaft goes back outside, Trey starts having a seizure on the stretcher, and Wade laughs. While Shaft is near the both of them, Wade comments “Homeboy’s got rhythm, huh?”. Enraged, Shaft punches him in front of everyone, breaking his nose. Just then, Trey dies. Kearney uses this moment to tell Shaft he’s not working at their precinct anymore, and Shaft asks, “For what?” before going over and punching Wade again. Shaft looks at Kearney and sarcastically comments, “For that?”. Then, he walks off into the middle of traffic for some reason. Sometime after, Shaft cleans out his locker and flips off a cop who tried to shake his hand on the way out. At the trial, Wade’s lawyer argues that Wade has roots in the community and has no criminal record. Shaft is there to watch. The opposing lawyer mentions how this is a case of homicide, so it doesn’t matter if Wade has never done it before. Bail is set at $200,000, and Shaft can’t believe it. He walks past Wade, and they share eye contact before Shaft comforts Trey’s mother (Lynne Thigpen).

After the trial, a crowd of people are all yelling at Wade and he’s giving it right back to them. Shaft watches in the distance. Before Wade gets in his limo, he spots Shaft and waves at him. Back at his office, Shaft gets a call from Wade who thanks him for breaking his nose that night. He tells Shaft that his lawyer let him know that’s why he got bail and also why he’s skiing in Switzerland at the moment (“See you when I see you, Slick”). Shaft pulls out Diane’s license and places it on his desk, staring at it.

Two years later, Shaft has been transferred and is working with a new precinct in the narcotics division. Also, a part of this division are Detectives Carmen Vasquez (Williams), Jack Roselli (Hedaya), and Jimmy Groves (Ruben Santiago-Hudson). In some terrible apartment complex with a lot of illegal stuff happening, they arrest some guys outside of the apartment they are about to bust into. Before they do, Shaft and Carmen introduce themselves to Roselli and Groves. Groves heard Shaft quit, but Shaft tells him not yet. Det. Luger (Lee Tergesen) is supposed to open the door discreetly using this equipment he has, but it’s taking too long and the group gets anxious. To their shock, one of the drug dealers opens the door first to get something, so they have to jump the gun on busting the place. They do relatively well, but Shaft has to chase a guy on foot after he climbs out on the fire escape. Once the guy alerts the locals a cop is chasing him, a bunch of them throw garbage at Shaft, including a literal garbage can. He has to threaten them with his gun to keep moving. He chases the guy into another apartment and gets up to the top floor. Eventually, the guy runs out of bullets, so Shaft walks over to him because he feigns giving up. Unexpectedly, the guy turns around and jumps out the window, crashing into another apartment window across from them seven years before The Bourne Ultimatum made it famous. The guy starts talking shit and exits the building he made it to. Following a moment’s rest where the guy stops, Shaft is there to drop him with a punch. He arrests him and throws him in the car. Right after, Roselli reveals they found nothing in the apartment, assuming someone must’ve tipped them off. Carmen gets all the group’s attention to look across the street. From his apartment window, known Dominican drug lord Peoples Hernandez (Wright) has been watching the whole thing while he’s eating.

Shaft grabs a basketball from someone nearby and throws it directly at Hernandez, which causes him to drop his food onto himself. Shaft invites Hernandez to come down to the street below, so he does and brings his crew with him while the cops back Shaft.

Hernandez tells Shaft that his Egyptian thread shirt he ruined is worth half of Shaft’s paycheck. Shaft tells him he’s wearing a knockoff. Hernandez tries to threaten Shaft and presses his finger on his chest, so Shaft uses this as an excuse to bring him for technically “assaulting an officer”. While he says some racist stuff to Shaft, Shaft frisks him and finds a concealed ice pick on him. Following this, they bring in the guys from the bust and Hernandez, but Hernandez isn’t worried in the slightest as he thrown in a holding cell. Shaft’s superior isn’t convinced Shaft isn’t just dicking around with Hernandez, but Shaft lies and says he was scared for his life. After this, Luger brings in a criminal he refers to as “Cornbread” (Gano Grills), and Shaft questions Luger over the racist comment. Luger doesn’t back down and they almost get into a fight, with Roselli and Groves having to hold Shaft back. Cornbread gives Shaft credit for how he handled the situation, and Shaft immediately tells him to shut the fuck up. A cop interrupts him to say the test results are in (“Today we find out if I’m your daddy or the German shepherd”). Shaft gets a confirmation over the phone that everything is 100% accurate, so Shaft writes down “WESTCHESTER” on a paper and heads out. Carmen asks what he is doing, and he just says it’s old business and turns down her offer to be backup. When he gets outside, he calls in a favor to have his friend Rasaan (Rhymes) act as his driver. Rasaan tries to tell Shaft he’s out of favors, but Shaft doesn’t want to hear it. At a private airport, Shaft waits for the return of Wade, as he’s finally coming back from Switzerland. Rasaan acts as Wade’s limo driver and opens the door for him. Wade sits in the backseat and finds Shaft inside waiting for him. He gives Wade handcuffs to put on and tells Rasaan to drive back to the precinct. Wade’s actual driver is sitting in the passenger’s seat in just his underwear because Rasaan took his suit for the disguise.

When they get close and the reporters are mobbing the limo, Wade arrogantly implies he has something up his sleeve, which is why he’s back. Wade opens the window and shouts that he’s innocent to the reporters before Shaft yells at them to back away from the car, closing up the window. They get back to the station, and everyone is cheering for Shaft because he finally caught the bastard. Shaft takes him to a holding cell, and Wade is confident he will be out in an hour. Shaft tells him it will be longer than that because the van for central processing left about five minutes ago. There won’t be another one for a while, so he will be there overnight. He sarcastically tells Wade that it’s a shame they didn’t get there sooner, as the timing of it was all planned. He puts him in the same cell as Hernandez and leaves. Hernandez asks Wade if Shaft got him for income tax evasion, so Wade responds, “Fuck you”. That night, Shaft goes to a bar and Alice (Sonja Sohn) greets him with a kiss. Shaft’s uncle, the original John Shaft (Roundtree), shows up and tells Alice to ease up on his nephew. He gives his nephew credit but asks when he’s going to come work for him as a private detective. Shaft says soon, and he chuckles because his nephew always says that. Meanwhile, Wade and Hernandez are brought into a public jail cell with numerous other criminals. A large man approaches Wade and demands his shoes. Wade comments they wouldn’t fit, so the guy hits Wade. Wade beats his ass. The cop (Singleton) on duty peaks at what’s going on but goes back to reading. Shaft flirts with a girl he knows at the bar and asks how she hides her gun in the clothes she wears, and she tells him to ask her boyfriend Lamont (Taylor). Lamont pulls Shaft off of her and calls him out for always trying to get after her. Shaft accuses Lamont of being insecure, so Lamont shoves him through the doors to the back room. It’s there where he realizes it was all a ruse, as the whole thing was set up as a surprise party for him to celebrate Wade being back in custody. His uncle in John Shaft was in on it too and gives him a hug.

Back in the jail cell, Hernandez sits down with Wade and introduces himself. He asks Wade why he thinks they call him “Peoples”, and Wade jokes how he always takes care of his people while mimicking a Dominican accent. Hernandez actually agrees with him to an extent, and he forces a conversation on him to the point where they become somewhat friendly. Back at the bar, Lamont and his girl tell both Shafts goodbye. The older Shaft and the younger Shaft watch on the TV in the room the news report about Wade’s capture upon his return. The younger Shaft doesn’t understand why Wade came back, but the older Shaft suggests Wade’s father will get him out of this. The younger Shaft is confident Wade won’t get away with this, but the older Shaft laughs. He then leaves with two women while the younger Shaft comments that he’s a cynical motherfucker. The bartender asks the younger Shaft if he wants to come home with her tonight since it’s been a while. Shaft asks what it will be this time. Does she want to be held, or does she want the “L.D.”? She smiles and tells him she wants the L.D. Then, she wants to be held. Shaft is fine with it responding, “It’s my duty to please that booty”. Before the trial, Shaft greets the retired Kearney, and they discuss the 4-bedroom house he bought in Nassau County. Shaft cuts the bullshit and asks how the hell he could afford such a thing. Kearney walks around it and says that after working a job uptown for 28 years, what he likes most about where he lives is that “It’s a restricted community”. In court, Wade’s lawyer argues that Wade didn’t fly back to jump bail, with the other lawyer correcting him to say, “jump bail again“. The district attorney is ardently opposed to any kind of bail. When he says this, Rasaan stands up in the crowd and yells for no bail, so Judge Bradford (Pat Hingle) has Rasaan removed. Bradford agrees to have Wade surrender his passport to the court. However, he still believes in Wade’s earnestness moving forward, so he still sets bail for Wade. This time, it’s for $1,000,000. The courtroom is up in arms, and Shaft can’t believe it. Kearney is all smiles.

Trey mother cries as Wade’s attorney tells Bradford that Wade will post bail. Wade and Shaft share a glance. Then, Shaft looks at the older Shaft who is also there. He just gives his nephew the “I told you so” look. Enraged, Shaft takes his badge and throws it like a knife near Bradford’s head, getting it lodged into the wall. After leaving the courtroom with his fellow cops, he tells them he’s going to get Wade his own way. On the steps of the courthouse, Wade smiles at Shaft, and Shaft pulls out his gun. They all think he’s going to shoot Wade, but Shaft says it’s cool. He hands over his gun to his superior and quits on the spot. Wade continues to smile at Shaft as they both walk down the steps of the courthouse, but his smile fades when Shaft shows him that he still has Diane’s license. Following this, Shaft is with the older Shaft. He recalls how he took the job as a cop because he thought he could fight the good fight from the inside and how the older Shaft warned him about all the problems, especially the color thing (“Too black for the uniform. Too blue for the brothers. About how justice gets tangled up in red tape or just bought off by the green”). He tells his uncle that he was right, adding “Fuck that job. Fuck the badge. I’ll get that silver spoon motherfucker, and I’m gonna get him my own way”. There won’t be any judges, politicians, or rules standing in his way, prompting the older Shaft to remind him that this would mean his pension too. The younger Shaft is confused by this comment, but the older Shaft tells him he’s too hot right now and to let him put his people on it. The younger Shaft refuses this because he wants Wade to himself. The older Shaft questions what the difference is (“Got is got”). The younger Shaft declines. He grabs the gun strapped to his ankle, puts it in his jacket, and tells the older Shaft that Wade’s ass is his. Back at the Wade family mansion, Wade is with his attorney who argues they are in good shape. Wade brings up the issue of Diane. The attorney admits they can’t find her but considers her to be damaged goods anyway.

Wade gets annoyed with how him and Wade Sr. aren’t taking this too seriously, and it further perturbs him when Wade Sr.’s attention is directed to his girlfriend who is wearing Wade’s mother’s choker. Wade can’t believe Wade Sr. just gave her this and storms out of the room flipping his dad off. He goes immediately into the master bedroom and steals a bunch of his mother’s jewelry. While this happens, Shaft goes to Diane’s mother at her home to see if he can speak with Diane. She tells Shaft that Diane lives in the Bronx, but Shaft says he checked at the last address listed and she wasn’t there. The mother then lies and tells Shaft that she’s in Spain and she never knows where she’s at until Diane sends a postcard. Shaft accepts this and goes to the parking lot only to find Carmen waiting for him. She wants to help, and he appreciates it. Soon after, Shaft approaches Diane’s former co-worker Terry (Lanette Ware) outside of her apartment. She knows he wants to talk to Diane, but she wants to know what’s in it for her. She points out Malik (Bonz Malone) on the street corner. Terry says her son Tony is a good boy, but she caught him twice last week running errands for Malik. She wants him to handle it, and he agrees to do so while flirting with her. Shaft goes over to tell Carmen that she should leave if she wants to keep her job with the NYPD, pulling his gun out as he tells her. Shaft goes over and pistol whips Malik and points his gun at all his friends. He hits Malik again with his gun several times over and tells him that his name is John Shaft and has Malik repeat it. He throws him to the ground and tells him to forget he’s ever seen Tony and to remember his name John Shaft (“What’s my name?“). A cop car rolls by, and Shaft stands over Malik with his gun in his face and just gives the cop the nod. The cop nods back and keeps driving. Terry smiles at Shaft, and he walks back over to her.

On a basketball court nearby, Diane is there coaching some kids. Shaft and Carmen show up and spot her. As soon as Diane notices Shaft though, she sprints to the parking lot. Shaft runs after her, but she drives off. Shaft tries to stand in the road to stop her, but she drives right past him. Shaft is almost hit by another car but is okay. Shaft goes back to Diane’s mother’s place, but she doesn’t answer the door. He goes to the parking lot and tells his friend Leon (Stu Riley) to call him as soon as he sees her show up. Leon is fine with this but asks how he’s going to get him into the police academy, so Shaft reminds him how he lost Leon’s rap sheet for him, got him a gig at the club, and how he always delivers. Shaft asks why he wants to be a cop anyway but tells him to forget he asked after he sees all the donuts and milk he’s consuming. Meanwhile, Wade gets the stolen jewelry appraised and goes over to Hernandez’s place to talk. Wade tells Hernandez he needs someone located, handing him over a paper with Diane’s name on it. Hernandez looks at it and tells him it will cost some money, so he shows Hernandez the jewelry. It’s worth $40,000. Hernandez is interested. Then, one of his guys points out Wade on the news leaving the courthouse, so an excited Hernandez takes Wade over to talk privately. He goes on about how he’s the king snake of his neighborhood and how he can do this for Wade, but he wants Wade to take him everywhere he goes moving forward. Wade laughs this off, but Hernandez explains that he didn’t mean it literally. He opens the door to a separate room showing Wade all the women in the small drug lab he has. He wants Wade to front for him and be his face to get him some upscale customers. If Wade does this, Hernandez will kill Diane with no problem. Wade refuses. He tells him it’s $40,000 or nothing, so Hernandez agrees to it. Nevertheless, this isn’t over.

Hopefully, Shaft can get to Diane before they can, as she is his last hope of putting Wade away for good. Even so, Hernandez’s insertion into mix will make things that much more difficult.

My Thoughts:

Is it controversial to say that John Singleton’s Shaft is the best movie in the franchise? It’s not as special as the first film and Richard Roundtree will always be the best John Shaft out of the three actors who have been lucky enough to take on the starring role, but Singleton’s long-awaited sequel was good enough that it actually bothers us as fans. This is simply because Roundtree deserved to star in a movie as action-packed and all-around fun as this.

“What’s my name?”

On the other hand, this sequel is tailored to star Samuel L. Jackson, who plays a new, violent John Shaft with way more of a mean streak than the original man who started it all. Roundtree’s Shaft was a badass, but Jackson’s Shaft is brutal, reckless even. This John Shaft does have similar elements to his uncle like his penchant for leather and Armani suits, along with an ability to get women. He’s not on his uncle’s level on either front, but it’s clear he shares the same genes. Still, it’s not until 2019’s Shaft where Jackson’s Shaft hones his craft and becomes all about the women. Regardless, there is a stark contrast between uncle and nephew. Uncle John Shaft was able to balance being the ladies’ man and the action hero, but nephew Shaft is that of a loose cannon ass-kicker. In one of the most underrated performances of his prolific career, the charismatic Jackson is awesome in the titular role, as he’s just as entertaining in beating the hell out of someone as he is with a funny quote or threatening the life of some poor bastard. Jackson is one of those action stars who gives off a serious and dangerous aura with his presence. It’s a believability that very few have in this sense. With some stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger, it’s the physique. With guys like Chuck Norris, it’s the subdued, quiet approach that is almost welcoming until the man reacts in an instant. With Samuel L. Jackson, it’s the intensity. As Shaft, he has an unpredictable energy with the way he carries himself. When provoked, the crazy eyes come out, and it signals that someone is getting fucked up beyond belief. He doesn’t try to be Roundtree’s Shaft and doesn’t need to be. He’s an extension of the family, but he’s his own man. It fits the high-paced energy of the film, with a modern attitude that has developed because of the modern state of criminality in New York. It’s a welcomed update, and the goatee-sporting hero breaking the rules of the NYPD and regularly pissing off his co-workers with his relentlessness in the pursuit of justice makes him worthy of the iconic family name.

Really, he’s just a bad mother-SHUT YOUR MOUTH!

As much as he’s a member of the Shaft family, the difference is evident, with Jackson’s Shaft being more comparable to Dirty Harry than Shaft. Again, it’s not a bad thing. This is a sequel after all, not a reboot. The original John Shaft is still an active private investigator and is the new John Shaft’s uncle. Now, it would make more sense to simply write him as Shaft’s son, but the decision was made because the age difference between the two real-life actors would make it impossible. Though the thought is appreciated, Jackson is ageless enough to where it would still be believable if he were written as Shaft’s son, which is probably why this is retconned in 2019’s Shaft. Nevertheless, with the original John Shaft still being alive, he still possesses the same magic he always had as the character and stays true to it. If they made Jackson’s new Shaft the same thing, it would be too similar to the original movie and force unwanted comparisons. There needed to be a difference in personality, so writing the screenplay with the star in mind was a good choice to make Singleton’s film a great continuation of the series to take it into the 2000s. Without a doubt, the original film is the most iconic of the series. None of the Shaft movies will match the event-worthy aura it had, even if it’s not the best movie in the series. On top of this, each sequel and the forgotten television show have plenty of positives and negatives about them. Because of this, we can say with confidence that this Shaft sequel from start to finish is the most complete production of the entire underrated franchise, doing it justice with awesome action sequences, the best car chases of the series, the best supporting cast, arguably the funniest production next to the 2019 sequel, and the best villain. It may not have the style of the original, but it’s the most entertaining and fulfilling chapter in the overall saga. Furthermore, another positive coming out of 2000’s Shaft is its noted respect for the foundation Richard Roundtree and director Gordon Parks laid down all those years ago.

Instead of rebooting the franchise entirely, it honors it by bringing back Roundtree to basically assure the audience that no one can replace the man. That’s love right there. The brilliance of this move is that it allows for filmmaker John Singleton and Samuel L. Jackson to add to the legacy rather than changing it outright. It lets them create their own thing, revive a movie they hold near and dear to their hearts for the next generation, which in turn will put eyes on the older movies for those that enjoy Singleton’s movie, and it frees the new movie from having to worry about trying to live up to the first film, an automatic thought from audiences that every reboot has to live with when they’re released. With this sequel being a continuation of the series into the modern era, we just come along for the ride, and we can have fun as fans without nitpicking details and arguing how the original did something better or vice versa. Its nostalgia done right and is something a lot of modern revisits of IP get wrong in today’s Hollywood. This is how you revive an older IP. If the OGs are still alive and well, let them be a part of the narrative in some way to bridge the gap. Obviously, we would love for Roundtree to have a bigger role in the movie but just seeing him be the well-travelled advice-giver is good enough, if that’s all that was possible. Watching him light up the screen while speaking with his nephew was special, as was the ending when he leads the protagonist out for the next chapter. Sometimes, it can really be that simple. The fans are only giving the legacy sequel or reboot a chance because of their connection to the past characters and the adventures they had prior. Forgetting about them entirely and just retaining the name for the production comes off as a slap-in-the-face money grab every single time. Thankfully, Singleton was an accomplished enough filmmaker at this point to get it right. In Singleton’s film, seeing the older but still smooth Richard Roundtree grace the bar with his presence and greeting the protagonist puts us at ease because the character is alive and well.

He’s well known and respected in the universe he helped start and he’s still got the charm, leaving with two women upon his exit in the first act. It puts a smile on your face as you think back to the 1970s saying, “He’s still got it!”. Even though Roundtree disappointingly only has a few scenes, it’s just enough to ground the story, foreshadow what’s to come, and show how he himself has evolved since his last appearance in the short-lived Shaft television series that ended in 1974. Now, the original John Shaft is as calm as he’s ever been, and it makes sense since he’s older, wiser, and has truly seen it all during his time on this planet. With so much experience backing him, he knows the tricks of the trade and doesn’t sweat the small stuff like he used to. Plus, he implies that he’s well off financially with his detective business, offering to put his people on the Walter Wade Jr. case to his nephew. If he’s expanded to include a team, it makes us feel good about who Shaft has become in his later years. If this were the Shaft from the 70s, he would flip out just like the new Shaft does in that courtroom for Wade’s hearing. However, this older Shaft has seen and done it all in his career, which is why his confident cynicism is proven right. He is there at the hearing and just gives his hot-headed nephew the look as if to say he’s not surprised of the outcome. He knows better than anybody that people like Wade have a way out of things. There’s only so much a cop can do, which is why he keeps asking when his nephew plans on joining his business, the foreshadowing we mentioned earlier. Jackson’s Shaft doesn’t have the experience of the wise elder Shaft. He’s still blinded and fueled by his rage for those who break the law so openly, which is why he becomes so deeply motivated to take Wade out his way. It’s going to get nasty, and that’s just the way he likes it. The old Shaft has already been through this phase in his life and has fought through the trenches. Going at it his nephew’s way is a step backwards.

Without saying it, enough context clues, fan knowledge, and cemented lore subtly imply why the older Shaft is okay bowing out of this one.

Moreover, the elder Shaft knows the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Back in his day, he would have done the same thing his nephew plans on doing, which is probably why he doesn’t step in to stop him past their initial conversation, as he knows how his nephew can be. They are too alike in that regard. Once a member of the Shaft family tree has their sights set on something, watch out! Despite Busta Rhymes having a bigger role than him in the narrative and was too distracting a figure to belong in that final scene of the picture, Roundtree maximizes his screentime in his series of pivotal scenes as the mentor with words of advice, though Jackson’s Shaft rarely listens. Uncle Shaft is still an active investigator who’s willing to help, but it shows the difference between the two family members. This new Shaft is that incensed that he’d rather go about this case his way, refusing the diplomatic and smarter way that involves more investigating tactics the elder Shaft showcased in the television series. If they went his way on things, it would be thorough but boring. Jackson’s Shaft would rather do it the violent way, and we’re thankful for it because it’s just more pleasing from a cinematic perspective. The Shaft character is too cool and too much of a badass to be in a straight private detective feature. The character was always at his best in action-based adventures, which is why the television show failed like it did. Here, the team behind this sequel understood the franchise’s strengths and responded with the best action sequences of the series, with electric scenes that become so balls-to-the-wall at one point, we have Rasaan driving his car like a bat out of hell while Shaft is fighting Diane’s brother in the backseat, which just followed Hernandez’s crazy ass stabbing himself with an ice pick demanding Shaft kill him. It’s awesome! The gratifying shoot ’em up climax that turns into an intense Mexican standoff is the second-best payoff of the franchise too.

For the record, the all-time winner in this category still belongs to Shaft in Africa.

Where this Shaft production succeeds where the others fail is that there is never a spot that drags. Even if a scene doesn’t end in a fight or a shootout, there’s a high energy level that stays consistent, engaging the viewer in every scene, like Shaft meeting Hernandez in a coffee shop while Hernandez has double digit henchmen with him. Hernandez begins talking shit, and the fearless Shaft decides to sit across from him completely outnumbered. He smiles while commenting how guys like Hernandez go down for good when they get aspirations, mentioning the contract killing he has with Wade. Hernandez doesn’t care what he has to say and points out, “You ain’t even a pig no more”. With his crazy eyes in full effect, Shaft replies sarcastically, “You think that makes me less dangerous or more dangerous?”. As soon as he says this, all the characters and the audience realize they know the answer to his question. Before leaving, he tells Hernandez he will kill him if he sees him somewhere he doesn’t think Hernandez belongs. Then, he makes the doorman flinch before walking out untouched. Hernandez laughs to save face with Shaft, but as soon as Shaft exits, Hernandez comically yells at the doorman, “Puta, why you flinch?”. It’s scenes like this that show the difference in script quality to previous Shaft productions, as well as how a great director can make all the difference. Whether it’s Diane’s brothers Frankie and Mikey protecting their sister and getting into it with Shaft and Carmen, or the absolute genius play of Shaft tricking Roselli and Graves to make it look like they were screwing Hernandez and they all start pointing their guns at each other, there is a certain level of care and creativity with each scene that not only adds to the exciting narrative, but also never loses the momentum of the scene prior.

One major grievance is the insistence on going with the same title. The first movie bears the name and so does the show. Why couldn’t they call this Shaft 2000 or give it something with a subtitle? Giving it the same name tells the uninformed that it might be a total reboot. It’s even more troubling when the 2019 sequel possesses the same name too! What the hell is up with this? There are only 6 Shaft productions in existence and 4 of them are just called Shaft? Is no one else bothered by the lack of imagination here? Also, am I crazy or is Shaft 2000 starting to sound cool? Giving this feature the same name sets a weird precedent that should have never happened. Furthermore, Samuel L. Jackson doing something different with his facial hair and attempting his own style for the entirely new character is appreciated, but that dumbass bucket hat he started to wear late in the movie was not working. It was a very “2000s” thing for him to do, like Rasaan’s apartment being filled with CDs and R. Kelly being played aloud. Still, Jackson needed to own the bald head throughout. It fit the modern style of the film more than he realized. Thankfully, he forgets about the hat in the 2019 sequel.

Despite the main character being Dirty Harry-like, this sequel isn’t a dark action thriller like the movie poster would suggest. It’s actually a lot of fun, with a majority of the humor stemming from Jackson being hilarious even at his most menacing, simply because he’s one of the best cussers in the game (“How does a third rate, pencil-pushing, apple-stealing dickhead like you, afford a 4-bedroom colonial in Nassau motherfucking county, huh?”). It’s the one thing he has over Roundtree’s Shaft. Jackson could never match the smoothness of Roundtree and knows it, but he can be funnier. You can’t say, “It’s my duty to please that booty” to a woman with that much conviction without winning this award outright. Just him yelling at Tattoo for walking behind him and questioning, “You wanna die?” was hysterical. This Shaft’s way of kicking ass and taking names brings a lot of amusement to the picture, and they never force a joke either (“This is some repugnant shit”). Along with this, Singleton continues his penchant for giving celebrities outside of the acting sphere roles, with some small but amusing performances by Busta Rhymes and Lawrence Taylor. As a whole, the supporting cast strengthens the modern atmosphere of New York City the filmmaker is trying to capture. This is furthered by the film’s biggest highlight, its villains. Channeling a bit of his Patrick Bateman energy, Christian Bale is the silver spooned, despicable white racist villain who nails his role as the nemesis of the new John Shaft to an expert level. He embodies everything we hate about the privileged rich kid living off his family’s money and can get away with anything because of the power his last name has in the big city. However, that’s not all. The character is much more than a rich prick. He has such a mean streak that he holds his own on several occasions, the biggest surprise of the film. It’s not just a sneak attack like with Trey in the restaurant incident. He finds himself in terrible situations but is just as much of a menace as the people he encounters.

In the holding cell with the rest of the recently arrested criminals, Wade kicks the one guy’s ass who tries to steal his shoes, he’s not intimidated by Dominican drug lord in Peoples Hernandez in the slightest, despite context clues telling Wade that he’s a dangerous man, and when Wade realizes he’s being mugged by two random hoods (who we find out are a disguised Shaft and Luger), he gets ready in an alley and throws the first punch. Later, he does it again when he sees Hernandez and his guys in his place, which forces Hernandez to lose his shit, throw Wade through a window and onto the balcony, and stab his hand with his signature ice pick (“I come back later, put this in your ass”). Wade doesn’t have a death wish per say, but he has that much evil in him that he isn’t just some snobby kid, he’s a formidable foe for Shaft and Diane. Wade has no problem mixing it up and does not care if he’s the bad guy whatsoever, even antagonizing all the people outside of the courtroom when he’s mobbed by reporters and citizens. Usually, a character like this would scurry to the limo and be thankful he got out of the situation because of his money, but Wade is out there cussing people out and loving the fact that he’s making everyone eat shit because he got away with it again. Magnifying the privileges someone like Walter Wade Jr. would have, he jumps bail for two years to basically vacation in Switzerland before coming back and still getting the option to post bail, despite this option more than likely never being available for anyone in the middle or lower classes given the same circumstances. That smug face of Wade as he manages to spot Shaft in and out of the courtroom to subtly let him know he won again will make your blood boil, as Bale revels in the arrogance of the character. It’s a role that reminds us how good the actor has been throughout his career. With a lot of high-profile A-listers, we tend to look through the character and give credit to the actor or actress for playing the fun role.

Here however, we see the character, and we hate him. In a performance he could have easily phoned in for the paycheck, Bale is annoyingly good to where you are begging for Walter Wade Jr. to get his ass kicked as brutality as humanly possible. Alongside him is the brilliant Jeffrey Wright. As the twisted, family-orientated, ice pick-having, Dominican drug lord Peoples Hernandez, Wright is magnificent. The development of Hernandez’s uneasy partnership with Wade takes quite an interesting turn. Continuing with the screenplay subverting certain character and narrative tropes expected in a feature like this, Hernandez and the many people he employees surprisingly doesn’t intimidate Wade. Right away, we assume he is going to force Wade into being the front for his drug business purely due to his threats and Wade’s state of desperation, but Wade is such a know-it-all asshole that he laughs off Hernandez’s ambition and gives him the ultimatum of his cash payout or nothing at all. The balls on Wade are nearly Shaft-like, albeit on the villain side of things. The amount of confidence Wade has for a person in his position actually pisses you off. The viewer will find themselves asking who in the hell Wade thinks he is, but it works because it sets him apart from what could have been a regular bad guy into that of another wildcard Shaft has to face. Even though we hate to admit it, it’s hard not to respect Wade’s unrelenting arrogance because he backs up his shit talk more than any nepo baby we have seen onscreen. Even Hernandez is taking aback because it’s obvious that he thought he was going to walk all over Wade with his crazy, ice pick-wielding shtick. Granted, Hernandez still gets the upper hand later on anyway after he already set the wheels in motion to find Diane and Wade tells him he got mugged and can’t pay him.

In a laugh-out-loud scene, Hernandez tells Wade how he has to earn it all back and takes an open-door shit while pointing out the prices of his cocaine and how Wade might be able to pay it all off in 6-8 months if he’s consistent. By this time, the villain team-up becomes splintered, but Hernandez’s side gets bigger once the added wrinkle of corrupt cops is thrown into the mix. Nevertheless, the narrative finds new ways in maintaining the pace and never being boring in all facets of the screenplay. For the first time outside of the protagonist, we are compelled by other characters and subplots, a first in the Shaft franchise. It’s entirely due to the work of Bale and his take on the rich kid villain and a standout performance in the underrated Jeffrey Wright. From his movements and mannerisms to his rambling speech pattern, Wright is an absolute gem as Hernandez. His manic energy and unpredictable thought process when dealing with Shaft or Wade is a lot of fun to watch unfold. In hindsight, the performance has become even more impressive over the years after seeing the real Jeffrey Wright in interviews and how far off he is from such a character. It’s a shame the actor didn’t start getting mainstream attention until the 2010s because between this film and Basquiat, he CLEARLY had the talent for a long time. On the other hand, the only afterthought is Vanessa Williams as Carmen Vasquez. It seemed like she only existed because they saw how male-heavy the cast was. She played no role of significance within the story. What she lacks in however, Toni Collette makes up tenfold with in the pivotal role of Diane. You almost never see Collette put on a bad performance, and the streak continues here. Her chemistry with Jackson allows the sympathetic side of Shaft to come out, bringing layers of depth out not previously seen in the main character before. It proved that this Shaft wasn’t a one-dimensional action hero. He might be a motivated badass, but he does have a heart, especially after hearing what Diane went through.

Without spoiling the ending, I was conflicted on the finish, but the twist in Diane’s revelation kind of makes what happened virtually the only guaranteed solution. Even now, it’s hard to say if it was the right way to finish the story, but it was rewarding.

No matter the issues, they are all relatively minor. Since the film begins and ends with Isaac Hayes’s “Theme from Shaft”, we can let it go.

Improving significantly on what the previous installments failed at while maximizing the strengths of the series, John Singleton’s updated Shaft sequel is fast, furious, funny, and an all-around great production that brings the series into the modern era with force. Its large-scale action sequences are some of the best in the series, it’s expertly paced, and it’s consistently entertaining, something the previous films could never truly nail down. With a strong supporting cast and interweaving subplots that are all tied together with a tightly wound bow, Samuel L. Jackson as the nephew of the cinematic legend honors the franchise well and adds to the lore of the Shaft name. Again, Richard Roundtree is still the best version of John Shaft. That’s not even a question. However, the 2000 film is the best in the Shaft franchise.

Fun Fact: Will Smith, Wesley Snipes, and Don Cheadle were all considered for the lead role. The notoriously unreliable Lauryn Hill was considered to play Detective Carmen Vasquez, and John Leguizamo was offered the role of Peoples Hernandez, though he ended up dropping out to work on Moulin Rouge! Apparently, Vin Diesel turned down the role of Walter Wade Jr. too.