Shaft (1971)

A private detective is hired by a Harlem mobster to rescue his daughter from the Italian mobsters who kidnapped her.

First release year

1971

Runtime (minutes)

100

Production countries

United States

Original languages

English

Directors

Gordon Parks

Writers

Ernest Tidyman · screenplay; John D. F. Black · screenplay

Cast and characters

Richard Roundtree · Shaft; Moses Gunn; Charles Cioffi; Christopher St. John; Lawrence Pressman

Themes

masculinity; sexuality; Black Power; race

Tone and mood

gritty; stylish; atmospheric

Premise and plot tags

private detective; kidnapping; organized crime; militant

Source material / true-story basis

Ernest Tidyman's novel of the same name

Content notes

misogyny

Reception

The film was initially mixed but was generally applauded for its innovation and its role in expanding black representation in commercial cinema. It was a massive box office success, saving MGM from bankruptcy and sparking the blaxploitation craze.

Reported review scores

Rotten Tomatoes · score: 88% · review count: 96

Awards and nominations

Grammy Award · Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture · win; Grammy Award · Best Instrumental Arrangement · win; Academy Award · Best Original Song · win

Production trivia

It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2000.; The film was one of only three profitable movies for MGM that year.; The 'Theme from Shaft' appeared on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs list.

Genres

Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.

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