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By RON HUTSONTake a stock detective movie you used to watch on the 3 o'clock matinee, and make all the characters black.Then add too many out-ofplace Right On! Brothers ’, black handshakes and salutes.And of course have the black stud hero make love to a cheap white girl - just like black studs do in all self-respecting movies, and you'vegot a Shaft.1'Actually its not all that badif you've got a good sense of numor Some of the inappropriate lines and miscastcharacters are funny in a kind of unfunny wayThe problem is Richard Roundtree in his film debut as John Shaft just isn't a very im-piessive tough guy He's big enough His clothes are bad enough But for a rough Harlem detective, he just doesn't make it.When you add some really weak black gangsters, also trying to act and talk tough, some scared black revolutionaries - who know better than to be tough, and some super-typical Italina mafia types, the whole film nearly turns into a tragi-comedy.The movie is produced by Joel Freeman and directed by photographer-author Gordon Parks John Shaft is a private eye who gets involved with a black Harlem racketeer, blackmilitants the city police department and the Mafia in one shady deal Shaft also finds time to getinvolved with not-so-pretty Gwen Mitchell as Elite Moore, and Margaret Warncke. as Linda, the white girl.One of the funniest and most tragic aspects of Shaft is there are two love scenes somehow included that have absolutely nothing to do with the plot.Its almost as if someone felt there had to be some love in there someplace to prove what a bad -- Shaft is Well Shaft is bad Most of the characters are poorly cast and unconvincing. And except for some souped-up violence. especially at the end. there just isn't much to themovie.Shaft” is billed as a dramatic departure from the James Bond and Our Man Flint portrayals because it is supposed to deal with the hardcore realities of ghetto survival.”Unfortunately those realities in the movie, if there are any. are lost in the unreal dialogue and awkward charactersAs the advertisement goes. “If you want to see ‘Shaft’, ask your momma.Hopefully your momma will have seen it first and warned you to save your money.In Poland, a watch is a Zegar!
Newspaper Details
Call and Post
Cleveland, Ohio, US
Sat, Aug 14, 1971
Page 32
Full Page
Clipped by
Rotten T.
USA 22 Apr 2021
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