When his best friend dies under mysterious circumstances, an FBI cybersecurity expert joins forces with his father -- the legendary cop John Shaft -- to scour the streets of Harlem, N.Y., and uncover the truth.
This is a film that I really wasn't expecting. It came out of nowhere with little to no fanfare, but as I did enjoy 2000's Shaft, I figured I would see how this latest iteration ended up. The fact that it is a Netflix film did make me hesitate, but Netflix has had some good content (think Roma and Okja) so I tried to keep an open mind.
What is interesting, is that this is the fifth film in the franchise. Apart from a slight retcon changing how the characters are related, this is all a single 48-year-long continuity; from Richard Roundtree's John Shaft to Samuel L. Jackson's John Shaft II, and now Jessie Usher's John Shaft III a.k.a. JJ. What is more curious is the switch in film genres. The initial trilogy was part of the blaxploitation genre that emerged in the 70s, with 2000's Shaft being more of a crime thriller. 2019's Shaft (and the third film in the franchise to be simply called "Shaft') takes another change in direction, being an action-comedy that blurs the lines of satire.
The comedic style can be put justified by its attempt to pay homage to the founding films of the franchise in the blaxploitation genre, with a high prevalence of ethnic minorities in stereotypically bad situations. It is a foundation that is objectively politically incorrect in this day-and-age and Kenya Barris and Alex Barnow lean on this heavily in their screenplay. With three generations of John Shaft's (the actors have returned to reprise their roles), the film plays on the generational differences and highlights societal changes in the last 50 years.
It's nice to see Samuel L. Jackson in a leading role again, and alongside his return comes a return to the 70s style of action movie; American muscle cars, funk & soul music in the soundtrack, homophobic dialogue, misogyny and flagrant womanising are all on display and are all openly chastised by the latest generation of Shaft. With this component of the film being a major aspect of the humour and plot, it creates an inconsistent tone, frequently switching between fast-paced action and awkward satire.
The political incorrectness will polarize audiences with some loving the nostalgia that comes with the style of the film, and others being turned away by the humour that they knew they should not be laughing at. High chances of offence.
Aside from the risky comedic direction to the film, 2019's Shaft is a very standard action flick. It ticks off all of the usual tropes one by one in a rather generic fashion. It still manages to provide a reasonable pace to it, but the comedy reduces the impact of a lot of the emotional scenes and the action set pieces. Nothing spectacular, and ultimately forgettable.