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Shaft

Play trailer Poster for Shaft R 2000 1h 38m Action Comedy Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
67% Tomatometer 115 Reviews 40% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Crooked cops on the take -- small-time drug lords -- sleazy informers and sadistic rich kids ready to kill --- for police detective John Shaft, its just another night in the underbelly of New York City, another shift facing down cops and criminals who want him dead and a legal system that thrives on money, not justice.
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Shaft

Shaft

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Critics Consensus

With a charismatic lead, this new Shaft knows how to push the right buttons.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/28/2010
4/5
A guilty pleasure for adults and older teens. Go to Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 01/01/2000
2.5/4
Is this a good movie? Not exactly; too much of it is on automatic pilot, as it must be, to satisfy the fans of the original Shaft. Go to Full Review Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune 01/01/2000
This new Shaft has the stuff to grab its audience in a big way, maybe even opening up a new franchise. Go to Full Review Chuck Klosterman Akron Beacon Journal 10/28/2023
3/4
This is really a totally different creation, and it ends up being almost as good for totally different reasons. Go to Full Review Tony Black Cultural Conversation 02/14/2021
3/5
Super-empty but super-cool thrills. Go to Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins 11/09/2020
3/10
While there's time for action and chaos, the detective work is sloppy, resulting in plenty of collateral damage and destruction; it's all brawn and no brains. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Lanfranco C @Lanfrancobz Apr 9 Good, usual action movie! See more Andrew G. @Cinafactor Apr 5 25 minutes paint by numbers, then it’s an little more than alright movie with solid performances especially by Jeffery Wright. You will notice actors from around the time as well See more Stephen C @bob25009 Dec 3 The worldwide gross is $107,626,125.00 over a production budget of $46,000,000.00. Difference of $61,626,125.00. Starring Samuel Leroy Jackson (Born December 21st, 1948, in Washington, D.C., celebrating his 78th birthday in just 154 days) and Trevor George Smith Jr. (Born May 20th, 1972, in Brooklyn, New York, celebrating his 54th birthday just 61 days ago). And Vanessa Lynn Williams (Born March 18th, 1963, in Tarrytown, New York, celebrating her 63rd birthday just 124 days ago). And Christian Charles Philip Bale (Born January 30th, 1974, in Haverfordwest, Wales, United Kingdom, celebrating his 52nd birthday just 171 days ago). See more thiago s @Thiagostone 05/24/2025 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom. See more secpac58chichi T @RT99301285 05/12/2025 Did anyone else notice the nip-slip by Vanessa Williams in the bar scene where they throw a party for shaft ? See more terry t @RT16669594 02/07/2025 This is my all time favorite movie!! The entire cast was just amazing!! See more Read all reviews
Shaft

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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John Singleton

Director

Samuel L. Jackson

John Shaft

Vanessa Williams

Carmen Vasquez

Jeffrey Wright

Peoples Hernandez

Christian Bale

Walter Wade, Jr.

Busta Rhymes

Rasaan

Movie Clips

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Shaft

Shaft: Official Clip - New York Car Chase Shaft: Official Clip - New York Car Chase 2:13 Shaft: Official Clip - Shoot Him Shaft: Official Clip - Shoot Him 1:37 Shaft: Official Clip - The Iceman Goeth Shaft: Official Clip - The Iceman Goeth 1:15 Shaft: Official Clip - Thrown in Jail Shaft: Official Clip - Thrown in Jail 1:16 Shaft: Official Clip - April Fools Shaft: Official Clip - April Fools 2:08 Shaft: Official Clip - Mano a Mano Shaft: Official Clip - Mano a Mano 1:56 Shaft: Official Clip - Gimme Your Shoes Shaft: Official Clip - Gimme Your Shoes 0:52 Shaft: Official Clip - Million Dollar Bailout Shaft: Official Clip - Million Dollar Bailout 0:41 Shaft: Official Clip - Meeting Peoples Shaft: Official Clip - Meeting Peoples 1:23 View more videos

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Shaft

Christian Bale as Walter Wade. Jeffrey Wright as Peoples Hernandez. Christian Bale as Walter Wade. Busta Rhymes as Rasaan Busta Rhymes as Rasaan. Christian Bale and Jeffrey Wright. Richard Roundtree as Uncle John. John Singleton, director. Samuel L. Jackson as John Shaft. Richard Roundtree as Uncle John. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Crooked cops on the take -- small-time drug lords -- sleazy informers and sadistic rich kids ready to kill --- for police detective John Shaft, its just another night in the underbelly of New York City, another shift facing down cops and criminals who want him dead and a legal system that thrives on money, not justice.
Director
John Singleton
Producer
Scott Rudin, John Singleton
Screenwriter
Ernest Tidyman, John Singleton, John Singleton, Shane Salerno, Richard Price, Shane Salerno
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Scott Rudin Productions, Paramount Pictures, Shaft Productions Ltd., New Deal Productions
Rating
R (Strong Violence|Language)
Genre
Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 16, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$70.3M
Runtime
1h 38m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)