SHAFT (2019) ****

When Richard Roundtree sauntered through the streets of New York in 1971’s Shaft, it announced not only the arrival of an iconic African-American action hero, but the arrival of an entire genre of Blaxploitation action films.  In 2000, Samuel L. Jackson took up the mantle as Shaft’s nephew, made the character his own, and brought the concept into the 21^st century.  Now it’s Jessie T. Usher’s turn to portray the next generation of bad mother... I’ll shut my mouth.  

I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that Usher has some very large shoes to fill.  The fact that the filmmakers tackle this subject head-on is the key to enjoying Shaft.  His Shaft is a computer-savvy millennial sorely lacking the masculinity of a bygone era.  When his friend is murdered, he is left with no choice but to turn to his estranged father, Shaft (Jackson) for help.  While attempting to solve the case, they try to reconcile their differences while Shaft tries to impart manly wisdom and badass hard knocks street smarts to his gun-shy son.

If you want an updated, modernized take on a Blaxploitation classic, stay far away from Shaft.  Watch last year’s sadly neglected Superfly remake instead. If you want a hilarious Buddy Cop action comedy that’s more of a throwback to the action flicks of the ‘80s than a love letter to the ‘70s, then the new Shaft is where it’s at. It also happens to be the most entertaining movie of the year.  In fact, this Shaft is the best Shaft that’s ever Shafted.  

(Oh, and for the record, actual the on-screen title of Shaft (2019) is Shaft (c) MCMLXXI, which is pretty cool.)

I can understand why some reviewers were put off by the tone of Shaft.  The original films were gritty, hardnosed, and badass.  This one plays more like a Lethal Weapon sequel.  There is nothing wrong with that either.  It acknowledges that Shaft’s methods, while they still work, have gone the way of the dinosaur.  While he constantly verbally dunks on the perpetually in-over-his-head Shaft Jr., the son continually proves that he can hold his own against his own man.  Sure, he may be a little prim and proper, but when the shit hits the fan, he proves to have enough of the old Shaft magic in him to be worthy of the name. 

The generation gap comedy is the most entertaining portion of the film.  The plot is rather predictable and bare-bones, which is fine, seeing as the plot is straight out of your standard detective movie.  Infusing humor and heart to a traditionally gritty franchise was a bold move, but director Tim Story pays it off in surprising and often hilarious ways.

I can understand why many will be dismayed.  Shaft repeatedly tells his son to rally against “The Man” while the film simultaneously is a product of said Man.  It’s (slightly) homogenized and lacks the aggressive swagger of the original.  However, it pays tribute to every incarnation of the character, embraces it, but sends it kicking and screaming into the future.  It’s about family, fathers and sons, and kicking lots of ass along the way.  I’m a sucker for shit like this.

It’s also Jackson’s best post-Snakes on a Plane performance, which automatically kind of makes it a must-see.  

Roundtree eventually gets in on the fun during the finale.  It’s truly a blast seeing three generations coming together to battle the bad guys, and it makes for a fist-pumping good time.  There’s even a moment that directly references an iconic scene from the original that subverts your expectations and also happens to be one of the funniest things you’ll see all year.

Even though Jackson gets most of the laughs, it’s Usher who gets the best line of the movie.  When his vengeance-seeking father sets out to get payback on the man who mistreated his son, Shaft Jr. asks, “Can’t we just send him a tersely-worded text?”