If you’re expecting the 2019 revival of Shaft to tackle hot button issues like gun control, police brutality or the opioid epidemic, then you’re out of luck.
This is your run-of-the-mill, modern take on an old IP that some studio executive or other, hopes still has some box office bucks left in it. It’s as safe as they come – any mentions of drugs or ‘the Man’ come across as strictly nostalgic obligation.
You could definitely argue that doing this to an incendiary character like Shaft is counter-productive, or even straight up pointless. Me, I’m not wholly against the idea of a Shaft action comedy that doesn’t push any buttons – as long as it delivers the action and comedy.
Shaft (2019) does not.
John ‘JJ’ Shaft Junior (Jessie Usher) is an FBI data analyst, whose best friend dies in an apparent overdose. Suspecting foul play, JJ tries to investigate on his own. He quickly realises he’s going to need help from none other than his absentee father and private investigator John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson).
There’s nothing inherently wrong with the elder Shaft not being politically correct, or with the idea of a generational conflict between him and his nerdy, uptight son.
The problem is that the movie’s humour and characterisation basically boils down to ‘manly man who shoots guns and talks about sex 90% of the time makes fun of wimpy millennial’.
It’s lazy stereotyping that reflects poorly on both characters and makes for some really tired, unfunny humour. I do appreciate that they don’t go to extremes like making the son completely useless and a total wimp – JJ’s computer skills come in quite handy and he shows that he can handle himself in a fight more than once.
There’s even a really funny joke or genuinely touching father-son moment once or twice – but that’s the exception, not the rule.
It would have been one thing if this new version was making a point about the older Shaft being out of place in a modern world or something like it – that what used to be cool now just seems crude and kind of gross.
But that’s simply not the case – the movie clearly thinks that the guy who sends condoms and porno mags to his kid as birthday presents is the epitome of coolness. Yeah, someone will crack a joke about it or roll their eyes, but it’s very tacked on – it gives the illusion of challenging stereotypes of toxic masculinity without actually doing it.
Often the movie goes out of its way to make Shaft act out of character so that it can fit in a dumb joke or reference. If you expect me to believe that 60-year old John Shaft knows what ‘cisgender’ means, you’re out of your mind.
This film also has the annoying habit of interrupting what are supposed to be dramatic scenes with stupid jokes. Oh, John Shaft is about to apologise for the first time in a moment of important character growth? Let’s keep cutting to an obnoxious neighbour.
A sweet scene of Shaft Sr. taking care of his son after he’s had too much to drink? Better have him try coconut water for the first time and act like it’s the most disgusting thing in the world.
Richard Roundtree pops by in the last 15 minutes for a short and sweet cameo. He’s the only Shaft that’s actually cool and likeable, probably because he’s not in it long enough for the movie to screw up the character.
The action is bland and boring at best. There’s very little energy to it and the villains are non-entities (they don’t even really show up until the very end).
This revival of Shaft is just embarrassing. If you’re not going to take risks, at least be fun. How can you have three generation of Shafts teaming up and still fail this badly?
Shaft is available to stream on Netflix.