Shaft

Adventure, Thriller, Crime, Action

Christian Bale	Walter Wade, Jr.
Samuel L. Jackson	John Shaft
Vanessa L. Williams	Carmen Vasquez
Toni Collette	Diane Palmieri
Dan Hedaya	Detective Jack Roselli
Busta Rhymes	Rasaan
Richard Roundtree	Uncle John Shaft
Vanessa Williams
Jeff Wright
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	Jimmy Groves
Jeffrey Wright	Peoples Hernandez
Lynne Thigpen	Carla Howard
Josef Sommer	Curt Flemming
Philip Bosco
Zach Grenier
Pat Hingle
Peter McRobbie

Director	John Singleton
Producer	Scott Rudin; John Singleton; Mark Roybal; Paul Hall; Steve Nicolaides
Writer	Richard Price; Shane Salerno; John Singleton; Ernest Tidyman

Samuel L. Jackson makes a gleefully updated John Shaft in John Singleton's homage to (not remake of) the early '70s action classic, picking up where Richard Roundtree's legendary Shaft left off. The Manhattan-set film is highlighted by excellent performances, dynamic action scenes, and witty one-liners (Jackson's Shaft: "It's my duty to please the booty"--although the line's deceptive: there's a surprising lack of sex in the film). Unfortunately, it's offset by a surprisingly uninspired, predictable, one-dimensional story, penned by Singleton, Richard Price, and Shane Salerno. The story, in which Shaft investigates the murder of a young African American, is without suspense, since from the start the audience knows that rich white boy Walter Wade (Christian Bale) did the deed, and that Shaft is going to kick his ass, big time. That said, charismatic performances--from Jackson (who, in keeping with the times, is more volatile and fiery than his predecessor), Toni Collette (as a frightened witness), the villainous Bale, and the utterly amazing Jeffrey Wright (Basquiat)--make the film enticing and watchable. Look for a cameo by the original Shaft's director, the legendary Gordon Parks, and fans of the original should note that a still stunningly handsome Roundtree briefly appears as Jackson's uncle. --N.F. Mendoza