The "Shaft" films from the 1970's were blaxploitation crime films that remained one of the most successful in its genre, both financially and critically. So, when the franchise started to become more irrelevant as time went by, a reboot was made in order to kick-start a new series of films. However, production issues and meddling results at the box office caused this film to fall back into obscurity. In this sequel/reboot, John Shaft II is a police detective who is hellbent on making Walter Wade Jr, the son of a wealthy man, serving jail-time after he gets away of murdering a black man in cold blood. As the justice system fails to sentence Wade twice, Shaft quits the police force and attempts to handle the case by himself by finding the only witness of the attack who refuses to participate. Wade is also pursuing the witness and partners up with a Dominican drug lord named Peoples in order to hunt down and kill the witness to tie all loose ends. What works about the story is that it's perfectly simple to follow, but throws in twists and turns to make the wild goose chase more engaging. As much as I enjoy the 2019 film, the story is just uninteresting as it's your typical overly-complicated crime set-up that feels really unrealistic. The story for the 2000 film works much better due to the simple premise, but sprinkles in some nice plot events in order to keep the narrative fresh. It also helps that the pacing of the film is perfect with very little filler involved in the story. The tone leans more towards a serious take, but it does have its own cheeky humour, mainly from the one-liners and Shaft's personality of a womanizing, smooth detective. The 2019 film is perhaps the funniest of the franchise as there's more attempts to give out some great, raunchy humour, but the 2000 film has a more balanced experience as the story takes more of the centerstage rather than the comedy.
Samuel L. Jackson is just perfect as Shaft, emulating both the badass crime-stopping detective while having a charming, yet hot-headed personality that causes him to be so likeable by his peers and the ladies. Sure, it's mainly just Samuel L. Jackson playing a more glorified version of himself, but he does it so perfectly. Christian Bale as Walter Wade Jr. is slimy and despicable as both a vulnerable, but untouchable bastard who attempts to get away from murder. What I like is that he's not really the main threat to Shaft as he seems to get himself in positions where he lacks power from his ill-fated partnership with Peoples Hernandez, played by an over-the-top Jeffery Wright with a convincing Spanish accent. Peoples is just a fun villain for his crazy and demanding outbursts, while also having some intense, calm, charming conversations. Wright is almost unrecognizable as Peoples and practically becomes this Spanish drug lord the first time you see him. The side characters range from Vanessa Williams's Carmen Vasquez, a police detective who helps Shaft in his case, Busta Rhymes's Rasaan, a messy, pot-headed friend of Shaft who assists him as his drive-away guy, Toni Colette as Diane Palmieri, a waitress who is threatened by Wade after she saw him attack his victim, and Richard Roundtree as John Shaft I, the "uncle" of Shaft who acts as a guide and word of advice to his "nephew". I'm putting quotation marks here, since the 2019 film retconned this into his father pretending to be his uncle, which is a clever joke in hindsight. The cast is generally well-acted and even smaller characters that I chose not to mention can get a nice highlight in the film. None of the actors slip out of their roles or come across as awkward, they all stay in their convincing characters as long as they appear onscreen.
The late John Singleton directed this film as if it was almost a home video given some budget for some nice flair, giving the film this independent look while still being professionally directed. It's almost trying to visually pay homage to the franchise's humble beginnings. What is great about Singleton's direction is that he attempts to make the film as if it was set in the 70's, as outside of the modern soundtrack, the film never uses modern technology or political background at all. It makes it more in line to the franchise than the modern and updated take in the 2019 film. This can also act as a double-edged sword though as some viewers might not like the dated aesthetic of the film. It's a shame that Singleton passed away young as he was a talent in the industry. The cinematography is good with great uses of close-ups and establishing shots, as well as emulating the feel of the original by its simplicity. The score by Dave Arnold is mostly reusing the main theme from the 70's, which personally works well in my opinion. Considering that the film isn't obsessed of showing the updated technology and landscape, the seemingly outdated score blends well due to the lack of attention given to the late 90's world. The soundtrack is really good with the highlights being Black Rob's "Whoa" and of course the Oscar-winning Shaft theme. Personally, I prefer the soundtrack of the 2019 film more, but this one is also pretty good. The last thing to mention would be the action, which isn't supposed to be the takeaway of the film. The shootouts present are filmed as if they were made back in the 70's. So, you got a bit of over-acted deaths, not much use of blood outside of headshots, and a style that feels low-budget rather than going for style. However, it should be pointed out that this was intentional. Singleton was practically trying to emulate the 70's films with just a new fresh coat of paint, so the action should feel similar to that. I feel it's more effective than the 2019 film, as that tried to be stylish and modern, but came across as generic and boring outside of the climax.
The 2000 "Shaft" is a film that perfectly reboots and pays tribute to the 70's franchise. Sure, it's not extremely funny, the action isn't something to write about, and the film really commits to the 70's filmmaking aesthetic that it might turn some viewers off, but honestly, these are barely issues. From the simple yet engaging story, Samuel L. Jackson's charisma as Shaft, the villains being so well acted and despicable from the talents of Jeffery Wright and Christian Bale, the side characters being memorable in some capacity, Singleton's excellent directing that homages the roots of the franchise, good cinematography, and a catchy soundtrack and score despite the unoriginality. To be honest, the first time I watched it, I thought it was just okay. But the second time, I completely understood why the film was made the way it is, which gains a lot of respect from me. As much as I did bring up the issues of the 2019 film, I personally enjoy the franchise and all of its entries, with the 2000 film perhaps being as great as the original.
Verdict: 9/10. A great film that's perfect in its mission and existence. Give it a watch if you want to watch a slightly modern take on the franchise or if you love anything Jackson stars in.
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