Overview
A suave detective navigates the gritty underbelly of New York City to rescue a kidnapped girl.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- swaggering
- gritty
- biting
- late night crime double feature
- 1970s cinema marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded Shaft as an entertaining, innovative, commercially successful breakthrough for Black representation, while noting its thin and conventional plotting.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
John Shaft fully occupies the hard-boiled private-eye role while the film foregrounds Black power, street life, and representation.
Richard Roundtree’s Shaft is defined by suave demeanor, sharp clothing, biting dialogue, and controlled aggression.
The film is identified as a foundational blaxploitation production and expanded Black representation in commercial cinema.
Shaft navigates conflict among Bumpy’s Black crime organization, Black nationalists, police, and the White Mafia in New York City.
Films like Shaft, and why
Super Fly
shared blaxploitation energy, charismatic Black protagonist, urban crime conflict, and gritty action
Across 110th Street
shared neo-noir detective structure, Harlem setting, streetwise protagonist, and tense criminal underworld
Coffy
shared blaxploitation tradition, aggressive crime plotting, and assertive Black representation
The French Connection
shared private-eye conventions, hard-boiled urban atmosphere, and stylish 1970s crime action
Movie Details
- Director
- Gordon Parks
- Release Date
- 1971-06-25
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (439)
Cast
- Richard Roundtree
- Moses Gunn
- Charles Cioffi
- Christopher St. John
- Gwenn Mitchell
- Lawrence Pressman
- Victor Arnold
- Sherri Brewer
- Rex Robbins
- Camille Yarbrough
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Shaft about?
- A swaggering Harlem private eye is pulled into a dangerous kidnapping conspiracy linking rival Black factions and the White Mafia.
- What is Shaft like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Shaft as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Shaft violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Shaft as brutal.
- What did critics think of Shaft?
- Critics broadly regarded Shaft as an entertaining, innovative, commercially successful breakthrough for Black representation, while noting its thin and conventional plotting.
- Which films are like Shaft?
- Films with a similar feel include Super Fly, Across 110th Street, Coffy, and The French Connection.
- How long is Shaft?
- Shaft runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch Shaft?
- In United States, Shaft streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
