IMDb > Shaft (1971)
Shaft
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Shaft (1971) -- Cool black private eye John Shaft is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.
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Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   6,225 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 12% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Gordon Parks
Writers:
Ernest Tidyman (novel)
Ernest Tidyman (writer) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Shaft on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 July 1971 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
The mob wanted Harlem back. They got shaft...up to here. more
Plot:
Cool black private eye John Shaft is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(8 articles)
Hayes Welcomes Fourth Child
 (From WENN. 18 May 2006)
Pioneer Black Director Gordon Parks Dead at 93
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 8 March 2006)
User Comments:
The movie that kicked in the 1970s blaxploitation and changed the face of Hollywood forever! more (62 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Richard Roundtree ... John Shaft
Moses Gunn ... Bumpy Jonas
Charles Cioffi ... Vic Androzzi
Christopher St. John ... Ben Buford
Gwenn Mitchell ... Ellie Moore
Lawrence Pressman ... Sergeant Tom Hannon
Victor Arnold ... Charlie
Sherri Brewer ... Marcy
Rex Robbins ... Rollie
Camille Yarbrough ... Dina Greene
Margaret Warncke ... Linda
Joseph Leon ... Byron Leibowitz
Arnold Johnson ... Cul
Dominic Barto ... Patsy
George Strus ... Carmen
Edmund Hashim ... Lee
Drew Bundini Brown ... Willy
Tommy Lane ... Leroy
Al Kirk ... Sims
Shimen Ruskin ... Dr. Sam
Antonio Fargas ... Bunky
Gertrude Jeannette ... Old Lady
Lee Steele ... Blind Vendor
Damu King ... Mai
Donny Burks ... Remmy
Tony King ... Davies
Benjamin R. Rixson ... Bay Newfield
Ricardo Brown ... Tuffy
Alan Weeks ... Gus
Glenn Johnson ... Char
Dennis Tate ... Dotts
Adam Wade ... Brother #1
James Hainesworth ... Brother #2
Clee Burtonya ... Sonny
Ed Bernard ... Poerco
Eddie Barth ... Tony (as Ed Barth)
Joe Pronto ... Dom
Robin Nolan ... Waitress
Ron Tannas ... Billy
Betty Bresler ... Mrs. Androzzi
Gonzalo Madurga ... Counterman
Paul Nevens ... Elevator Man
Jon Richards ... Elevator Starter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Gordon Parks ... Apartment Landlord (uncredited)
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Directed by
Gordon Parks 
 
Writing credits
Ernest Tidyman (novel)

Ernest Tidyman (writer) &
John D.F. Black (writer)

Produced by
Joel Freeman .... producer
David Golden .... associate producer
 
Original Music by
Isaac Hayes 
J.J. Johnson 
 
Cinematography by
Urs Furrer 
 
Film Editing by
Hugh A. Robertson 
 
Casting by
Judith Lamb 
 
Art Direction by
Emanuel Gerard 
 
Set Decoration by
Robert Drumheller 
 
Costume Design by
Joseph G. Aulisi  (as Joe Aulisi)
 
Makeup Department
Martin Bell .... makeup artist
 
Production Management
Steven P. Skloot .... unit production manager (as Steven Skloot)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ted Zachary .... assistant director
Allan Wertheim .... second assistant director (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Lee Bost .... sound
Hal Watkins .... sound
 
Stunts
Bob Herron .... stunts (uncredited)
Joe Pronto .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Ron Zarilla .... second assistant camera (uncredited)
 
Casting Department
Sylvia Fay .... extras casting
 
Music Department
Tom McIntosh .... technical assistant to composer
Mayuto Correa .... musician (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Tom Miller .... unit publicist (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
100 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
UK:X (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | South Korea:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:16 (video rating) | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16
Filming Locations:
Cafe Reggio, MacDougal Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA more
Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
'Ron O'Neal' (Super Fly (1972)) auditioned for the role of John Shaft, but was turned down because the producers felt his skin complexion was too light. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: The outline of a microphone is visible under Shaft's turtleneck at one point when Bumpty Jones visits Shaft at his office. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
John Shaft: [holding up his middle finger to a cab driver who is honking his horn at him] Up yours! Get out the way!
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Red Zone Cuba (#7.19)" (1994) more
Soundtrack:
Walk From Regio's more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
12 out of 16 people found the following comment useful.
The movie that kicked in the 1970s blaxploitation and changed the face of Hollywood forever!, 27 April 2003
Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia

Gordon Parks' 'Shaft' may not have been the first blaxploitation movie but it was the most important and commercially successful of the initial batch, and it kicked open the door for other dynamic 1970s screen heroes like The Hammer, Coffy, Black Caesar, Foxy Brown and The Jones' (Black Belt and Cleopatra). In some ways it is one of the most conventional of the blaxploitation genre in the sense that all it really is is a black man (the charismatic Richard Roundtree) playing a part that up until then would have been played by a white one (Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, even Sean Connery). A super cool, hard as nails hero/anti-hero who is as handy with his fists as he is with the ladies. But of course, that is what made 'Shaft' so revolutionary and influential at the time. Personally my favourite blaxploitation movie is 'Superfly', released the following year and directed by Gordon Parks' son, but I can't deny that if you accept 'Shaft' for what it is, and not what it COULD be, it's difficult to fault, and still one of the coolest and most entertaining action thrillers of the 1970s, as good as 'The Getaway', 'Dirty Harry' or 'The French Connection' (the latter being also written incidentally by Ernest Tidyman who created the John Shaft character in a popular series of novels). The main reason 'Shaft' really works is because of the casting of virtual unknown Richard Roundtree, and the music score by soul legend Isaac Hayes. Roundtree probably had more potential than any black star of the period to cross over into major Hollywood stardom, but for some reason (typecasting, bad breaks) he faded away quickly, and ended up playing small character roles, usually cops, in cult favourites like Larry Cohen's 'Q' and William Lustig's 'Maniac Cop', and more recently bit parts in 'Se7en' and John Singleton's ill advised "remake" of 'Shaft' itself. Hayes' title theme is an utter classic, and one of the most recognisable and imitated pieces of music from the early 70s. Hayes had already released the brilliant 'Hot Buttered Soul' before this, but 'Shaft' made him a superstar, and even gave him a career as an action here himself for a while with 'Truck Turner'. I don't think overall Hayes' score for the movie is as consistently impressive as Curtis Mayfield's work on 'Superfly', but the main theme is still a sensational piece of music. Roundtree is backed up with a strong supporting cast, including Moses Gunn ('Rollerball') as Bumpy, a great baddie, Charles Cioffi ('Klute') as Androzzi, the cop who is frequently exasperated with Shaft's behaviour, and Muhammad Ali associate Drew Bundini Brown as Willy, a former childhood friend of Shaft who is now a black panther and disgusted with his decadent lifestyle. Also keep an eye out for a small bit by Antonio Fargas, who is best known as Huggy Bear in 'Starsky And Hutch' and also went on to appear as Pam Grier's brother in 'Foxy Brown', and as Doodlebug in 'Cleopatra Jones'. 'Shaft' is a movie that changed the face of Hollywood forever, and is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys 1970s movies, music or fashions.

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