History Film / Shaft

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shaft.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Can you dig it?"'']]

It tells the story of an African-American private detective, John Shaft (Creator/RichardRoundtree), who travels through Harlem and infiltrates TheMafia in order to find the missing daughter of a black mobster. Also in the cast are Moses Gunn as Bumpy Jonas, Charles Cioffi as Lt. Vic Androzzi, and Christopher St. John as Ben Buford, along with Gwenn Mitchell and Lawrence Pressman. Music/IsaacHayes did the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic theme song]] quoted above, which has reached MemeticMutation to the point where it may actually be better known than the movie. It also earned Hayes a "Best Original Song" [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]], the first ever awarded to a Black musician.

The film was followed by two more movies - only the first of which was based on a Tidyman novel and directed by Parks - along with a series of TV movies, following the further adventures of Shaft during the 1973-74 season on The New CBS Tuesday Night Movies. As the series was being aired on network television, the character of [[AntiHero Shaft]] was [[{{Bowdlerise}} toned down]] [[{{Badbutt}} a fair amount]]; for example, he frequently worked with the police, instead of being against them as in the original movie. Due to this ExecutiveMeddling, the series was unpopular, and it was quickly cancelled.

%%* BadassMoustache: Shaft has a moustache, and as we all know, he's a bad motherf-- okay, you get the idea.

* BadassMoustache: Shaft has a moustache, and as we all know, he's a bad motherf-- okay, you get the idea.

* {{Blaxploitation}}: A TropeCodifier--usually the first film anyone thinks of when hearing the term.

* WeaponOfChoice: Shaft's weapon of choice is a Smith & Wesson Model 36, Beretta 92FS or an M1911 pistol.

* ColorblindCasting: Shaft was white in the novel. Gordon Parks decided to cast a black lead and the rest is history.

* KickTheDog: Shaft grabs one of Lee's Mooks and uses him as a human shield to try and escape. The villain shoots and kills his own henchman. He lets Shaft live only because he has to report back to Bumpy that Lee hasn't killed Bumpy's daughter, that he has taken hostage.

->''"Any questions?"''

Two {{spinoff}} / {{sequel}} / {{revival}} films followed, focusing on other members of Shaft's family, in 2000 and 2019. Roundtree reprised his role in both.

* NeverTrustATrailer: to some decree. The trailer makes it seem that the Mob was taking over Harlem. While that's partially true, the events that lead to the movie are really Bumpy's fault. And the Mob was getting revenge for his actions by taking his daughter hostage.

* ColorblindCasting: Shaft was white in the novel. Gordon Parks decided to cast a black lead and the rest is history.

* RaceLift: Shaft was white in the original novel, as was Ellie Moore. Conversely, Linda was black in the novel, but white in the film. In the novel, the bartender at The No Name Bar, Rollie, is black in the novel, but in the film is a white friend of Shaft who nonchalantly declares that he is gay.

->''"They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother--\\

Two {{spinoff}} / {{sequel}} / {{revival}} films followed, focusing on other members of Shaft's family, in 2000 and 2019. Roundtree [[RoleReprisal reprised his role]] in both.

* {{Badbutt}}: In the series of TV movies, Shaft got downgraded to a [[{{Bowdlerize}} Bad Melon Farmer]] for fear of [[MoralGuardians offending the delicate sensitivities of white TV audiences]].

[[caption-width-right:300:''Can you dig it?'']]

->''They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother--\\

THEN WE CAN DIG IT!''

%%* AwesomeMcCoolName
* BadassMoustache: Shaft has a moustache, and as we all know, he's a bad motherf-- ''[[BigShutUp Shut your mouth]]!''

* BigShutUp: They say this cat Shaft is one bad mother-
** Shut yo' mouth!
** But I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft.
** Then we can dig it.

* DoubleEntendre: "Who's the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks? Shaft!"
** Damn right...
* FlippingTheBird: The original film opens with John Shaft flipping the bird at a cab driver who's honking his horn at him and yelling "Up yours! Get out of the way!"

* LineOfSightName: The main character was named after, of all things, a fire shaft.

%%* OneWordTitle

%%* ProtagonistTitle

%%* RatedMForManly

%%* SequelGoesForeign: ''Shaft in Africa''

%%* SoulBrotha

-->'''Shaft''': Cut the crap man, this is Shaft. Looks like you gonna have to close it yo'self, ''shitty''! (''cackles and hangs up, walks away, theme song music plays'')

''"Any questions?"''

[[caption-width-right:300: Can you dig it?]]

* RaceLift: Shaft was white in the original novel.

%%* AngryBlackMan

%%* ColdCash

* HollywoodHealing: In the original, Shaft gets shot numerous times with a machine gun. He mysteriously lives.

%%* IronicEcho: "Close it yourself, shitty!"
* KickTheDog: In the original, Shaft uses one of the BigBad's mooks as a human shield, causing the BigBad to shoot his own mook.

* RemakeCameo: In addition to Richard Roundtree (noted above), 1971 ''Shaft'' director Gordon Parks also has a cameo. He is the chess player that Samuel L. Jackson addresses as Mr. P.

It tells the story of an African-American private detective, John Shaft (Creator/RichardRoundtree), who travels through Harlem and infiltrates TheMafia in order to find the missing daughter of a black mobster. Also in the cast are Moses Gunn as Bumpy Jonas, Charles Cioffi as Lt. Vic Androzzi, and Christopher St. John as Ben Buford, along with Gwenn Mitchell and Lawrence Pressman. Isaac Hayes did the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic theme song]] quoted above, which has reached MemeticMutation to the point where it may actually be better known than the movie. It also earned Hayes a "Best Original Song" [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]], the first ever awarded to a Black musician.

Two {{spinoff}} / {{sequel}} / {{revival}} films followed, focusing on other members of Shaft's family, in 2000 and 2019.

!! "That cat Shaft shows up in these baaad mutha- / Shut your mouth!":
* ''Shaft '' (1971)

* ''Shaft'' (2019)