Sorry, this movie sucks

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I can't talk about "Shaft" without talking about two golden performances: Christian Bale and Jeffrey Wright.This was the first movie I'd ever seen Christian Bale in and his performance was so good I positively hated him. I didn't simply hate Walter Wade Jr., I actually hated Christian Bale!! I can remember only one other actor playing the antagonist so well that I hated the person, and that was Rebecca De Mornay in "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle." Of course, Christian Bale went on to be incredible in other movies such as "The Machinist", "Equilibrium" and the "Batman" franchise, but it took me some time to get over him being Walter Wade Jr.Then there was Jeffrey Wright as Peoples Hernandez. You mean to tell me he's NOT Latino??? No, he's not and that is amazing. His performance was stellar. He did such a good job that I wanted to see him in other movies."Shaft" was superbly written and the acting was even better. The story was good and I only neglected to write about that because it was secondary to great performances.

Remakes do work occasionally, case in point Shaft, John Singleton's update of the 1971 Blacksploitation movie that starred Richard Roundtree as the title character. Roundtree gets a part in this one as well, playing the uncle of Samuel L. Jackson's title character, John Shaft.It's the perfect role for Jackson, lashings of cool and menace, on his bulky shoulders dose the film easily rest. Plot finds Shaft turning in his badge after the law proves useless to let racist murderer Walter Wade Junior (Christian Bale a sneering villain but awesome looking in a tux) out on the streets. Shaft vows to bring Wade to justice, by any means necessary. Though he also has other things on his plate, namely Latino drug lord Peoples Hernandez (Jeffrey Wright a riot) and some less than honourable police officers.The screenplay is a little trite, but as an action movie, one with the coolness and sparky humour, it really hits the required spots of those just after such easy minded fare. The support cast is a roll call of sound performers with the likes of Vanessa Williams, Dan Hedaya and Toni Collette fronting up, while the awesome ebullience of Busta Rhymes is very infectious.Isaac Hayes gloriously famous theme tune is still in place, pumped up by composer David Arnold, which ensures the feel of the original isn't lost, and Donald E. Thorin's photography is pin sharp and in turns gorgeous (night shots) and streetwise gritty. Shaft, the 2000 version, still bad-ass and sadly under appreciated. 7/10

You know, it doesn't matter if this movie is a sequel, a prequel, a follow-up, a satire or a shot-by-shot remake. Shaft (this one) succeeds on it's own level because it rests in the hands of a skilled director. John Singleton cares about his characters, his story and has a sense of style.The story: A young black man (Mekhi Phifer) is murdered outside a local bar by a rich white racist (Christian Bale). A waitress (Toni Collette) witnesses the crime but is afraid to testify. John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) knows that she can be valuable to the case but she runs away and the kid goes free on bail.Frustrated, Shaft quits his job and becomes a freelance vigilante. He tracks down the waitress but finds more resistance. Meanwhile the rich kid tries to pay a local drug lord (Jeffery Wright) to find her and kill her. That's just the beginning. The story keeps adding on until we feel that the gunfights and the chase scene are well-deserved and don't feel tacked on. These are the very things that I looked for and missed in 'Mission: Impossible 2'.The movie drops itself somewhere between 'Boyz N the Hood' and 'Out of Sight'. It is exciting, the action scenes are done well and most of the actors seem to be having a good time. Sam Jackson fills the role previously played by Richard Roundtree (who plays his uncle) and it's no surprise to say that Jackson is as fun to watch as he is to listen to. He is always fun in the right role and this script gives him lots of dialogue to play with.What I noticed first about this film was Singleton's refusal to have the whole movie focus on the central character. There is a gallery of interesting characters here especially Jeffery Wright as a Latino drug lord named Peoples. His accent and his mannerisms must have come from studying Al Pacino in 'Scarface'. It is crucial in a movie like this that the actor playing the villain is having a good time. His gestures, his voice, his delivery are all wonderful.There are a few lulls in the script, I was a bit disappointed by the ending but that doesn't matter. Singleton takes a formula cop story and surrounds it with a lot of fresh dialogue, good characters and of course that great music.

When it's got these three leads, it's got to be worth checking out, right? Well, yes and no. The first half was really good, with snappy dialog, crisp performances and a potentially decent story. Then, it went downhill, with clichés galore, a ridiculously over the top storyline which turned into a car chase gun fest for no good reason I could think of. Samuel L. Jackson is terrific as John Shaft, and enjoyed the original Shaft making a reappearance as the uncle. As for the Latino bad guy - he was a cartoon character - I felt it was insulting for him to be directed to speak in ridiculous pidgin English in a ludicrously over the top gay Latino way (it was borderline racist, in my view).Still, the film was fun at times, but ultimately a failure.