Shaft

"Still the man, any questions?"

Jun 16 2000 R 1h 39m
Action, Crime, Thriller

New York police detective John Shaft arrests Walter Wade Jr. for a racially motivated slaying. But the only eyewitness disappears, and Wade jumps bail for Switzerland. Two years later Wade returns to face trial, confident his money and influence will get him acquitted -- especially since he's paid a drug kingpin to kill the witness.

Plot

New York Police Detective John Shaft is the lead detective on a sensitive case, a young black man is severely beaten. The man's companions tell Shaft that their friend humiliated the one who was spouting racial slurs at him. Shaft confronts him and he says he's Walter Wade Jr. , the son of a wealthy man. Shaft finds that he has the ID of a woman who's a waitress at the bar where Wade and the guy who was attacked were. When Wade continues to hurl racist comments, Shaft smacks him. Shaft later learns because of his actions Wade was granted bail and fled. Two years later, Wade returns and Shaft arrests him. At his hearing when the judge grants him bail, that's when Shaft throws his badge at the judge. He then sets out to get Wade by finding the waitress. Wade in the meantime asks a drug dealer named Peoples Hernandez to find the waitress and make sure she doesn't talk.

Written by

Ernest Tidyman, John Singleton, Shane Salerno

Directed by

John Singleton

Production Countries

United States of America, Germany

Production Companies

Munich Film Partners & Company (MFP) GHS Productions, Shaft Productions, New Deal Productions, Scott Rudin Productions, Paramount

Languages

Deutsch, Español, English

Awards

2 wins & 13 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
82,282
Average Rating
6 out of 10
Metascore
50
Popularity
NA