Shaft (2000)
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A determined detective must navigate a dangerous underworld to bring a wealthy criminal to justice.
The story
In 1998, NYPD Detective John Shaft is called to investigate the assault of Trey Howard. He arrests Walter Wade Jr., the son of a wealthy real estate tycoon, who claims self-defense. After Wade is released on bail and flees to Switzerland, he returns to the U.S. two years later. Shaft, now determined to bring Wade to justice on his own terms, resigns from the police force to pursue the case independently. He must navigate a web of alliances and enemies, including a dangerous drug lord, to find a key witness and ensure the criminal faces justice.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After Wade is released on bail in 1998, he flees to Switzerland but returns two years later. Detective John Shaft arrests him and, upon realizing the legal system may favor the wealthy Wade, resigns from the police to pursue him privately. Shaft teams up with a cab driver and a former colleague to track down a witness, Diane Palmieri. Meanwhile, a drug lord named Peoples Hernandez, who is also pursuing Wade for his involvement in the drug trade, hires his own team to track Shaft. A series of violent confrontations ensues, involving several henchmen and a betrayal by a snitch. Shaft eventually finds Diane, and they are attacked by Peoples' gang. After a series of shootouts and a high-speed chase, Shaft defeats the drug lord. In the final confrontation, the victim's mother, Carla, shoots Wade on the courthouse steps. The film ends with Shaft deciding to become a private detective, and he and his uncle help a woman seeking justice against an abusive boyfriend.
- First release year
- 2000
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- Germany; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Singleton
- Writers
- Richard Price · screenplay; John Singleton · screenplay; Shane Salerno · screenplay; John Singleton · story; Shane Salerno · story
- Cast and characters
- Samuel L. Jackson · Detective John Shaft; Vanessa Williams · Detective Carmen Vasquez; Jeffrey Wright · Peoples; Christian Bale · Walter Wade Jr.; Dan Hedaya · Detective Jack Roselli; Busta Rhymes · Rasaan; Toni Collette · Diane Palmieri; Richard Roundtree · Uncle John Shaft
- Genres
- action; crime; thriller
- Themes
- justice; corruption; identity
- Tone and mood
- action-packed; gritty
- Premise and plot tags
- reboot; sequel; crime-drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1971 film
- Franchise connections
- Shaft
- Reception
- The film received mixed-to-positive reviews on Metacritic and a critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes praising the lead's charisma.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 6.1/10 · scale: 10 · review count: 115; Metacritic · score: 50 · scale: 100 · review count: 33
- Production trivia
- The character of the elder 'Uncle' John Shaft was a direct reference to the 1971 film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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