Don’t think the movie feels the typical Hollywood obligation to be as politically correct as possible; John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) does for Rudy Giuliani’s police department what supporting actress Vanessa Williams (Carmen) did for the Miss-America pageant. But, unlike how Williams’ notorious Playboy spread was done in a manner clearly inconsistent with what the pageant’s organizers had in mind for their top girl, Shaft’s intentions are actually the same as the NYPD’s – in theory at least; both are in search of justice. However, rather than remaining a cop in a city full of corruption (Dan Hedaya reprises his role from “The Hurricane” as a crooked law-enforcement officer) and political favoritism (a wealthy killer is not only given bail the first time he is arraigned, but also when brought back two years after fleeing the country on his first bail), Shaft quits his job early on in the film and decides to take matters into his own hands – or fists, for that matter.

      The plot centers around the aforementioned wealthy killer and a drug bust, both handled by Shaft while he is still on the force. As the film opens, our hero arrives on the scene of a bloody murder where the primary suspect, Water Wade (Christian Bale, fresh off his last killing film, “American Psycho,” which is indirectly and humorously referenced here) has apparently beaten a man to death with a guard rail out of both racist hatred and the fury of being humiliated by the now-deceased victim. There is a witness, the bartender, but she is frightened and quiet and vanishes soon after the cops show. Rather than reading Wade his Miranda rights, Shaft punches him twice (a typical move for the protagonist who commences a drug raid by screaming “Freeze motherf*ckers! Don’t move!”) and then takes him downtown to the 15th Precinct.

      Two years later, Wade has fled and then returned to the USA and is once again arraigned by none other than our hero. Soon an odd murder-for-hire situation comes about with Wade and a drug lord in cahoots and the corruption is so thick that Shaft will need to remove himself from the NYPD in order for justice to be done.

      The film, actually a remake of the 1971 flick of the same title starring Richard Roundtree (who cameos here as “Uncle John”), should play to extraordinarily positive audience reaction among male viewers. Shaft’s character taps all the most primitive masculine desires from being a butt-kicking hero recognized by those who matter most on the streets to having to keep a glove compartment full of condoms. Samuel L. Jackson understands this and conquers the role equally as well as – if not better than – Roundtree did some three decades ago. From the first moment he appears on screen until the closing credits, the intensity he carries with him is vital to the movie’s tremendous entertainment quality.

      Excellent a film as it may be, don’t expect “Shaft” to be a deep, intellectual picture. The movie truly is a Hollywood popcorn flick. But, there is this one scene, where a central character lays helpless as a stake is driven through his hand and. . . nope, definitely a coincidence.

Mac VerStandig, 2000