Matthew D
Shaft returns in neo-noir style!
Director Gordon Parks' American blaxploitation action-crime thriller Shaft's Big Score! (1972) is fantastic! Parks' direction features hazy smoke, dingey New York city streets, ornate sets, and shadowy darkness for his phenomenal Shaft sequel. It's as funny, violent, exciting, intriguing, and smart as Shaft. Parks makes fights, shootouts, and conversations all riveting. He is one of black cinema's most stylish directors ever. It's easy to see why Shaft had such a stranglehold on culture in the 1970's and further influences on pop culture and films later.
Writer Ernest Tidyman's script is hilarious with biting jokes and one liners. His every line of dialogue feels fun, important, and memorable. The story about an insurance racket based on Harlem and Queens locals betting on horse-races, while gambling with their life insurance policies as collateral is fascinating. I love Tidyman's intricate crime drama narrative and compelling mystery that private detective John Shaft must solve as mobsters gun for his life. No wonder Tidyman was the right guy to write The French Connection as Shaft's Big Score! feels very similar. Judith Lamb casts captivating black actors and gorgeous black actresses in Shaft's Big Score! for a fun ensemble.
Richard Roundtree is awesome once more as the handsome, clever, strong, calm, innovative, and cool private detective John Shaft. Roundtree effortlessly charms and flirts with black actresses for believable, passionate love making. His fierce interrogations and negotiations with witnesses and informants is fun to watch with his imposing massive stature and hardened attitude. Richard Roundtree is an entertaining black hero and compelling action star. I liked his emotions over losing a close friend as the premise of the movie as he vows to avenge him in his own way.
Moses Gunn is gripping as the Harlem mob lord Bumpy Jonas. He always feels intelligent, collected, underhanded, and prepared for anything. His line delivery is delicious with an understated malice to his every playful word. He really is like a black godfather in the Shaft universe. Drew Bundini Brown is hilarious as Bumpy's henchman Willy with his exaggerated line delivery and hot temper. He makes for a fun foil for each guy that visits Bumpy.
Joseph Mascolo is fascinating as Italian mafia boss Gus Mascola. His clarinet playing is magnificent and his easy manner is as calm and deadly coldhearted as Moses Gunn's Bumpy Jonas. Joe Santos is quick to anger as Mascola's unruly toadie Andy Pascal. His vicious nature is a great foil to Mascolo's chilling personality.
Kathy Imrie is sexy and sympathetic as the lovely black femme fatale Rita. She is quite breathtaking. I felt bad as she was hit by Kelly and had fun with her sultry romantic chemistry with Roundtree's Shaft. Rosalind Miles is quite cute and empathetic as Arna Asby. Her sister to the victim is frightened and a kinder love interest for Shaft to start the movie off with her. I liked Kitty Jones' enticing cabaret dancer cameo. Marilyn Hamlin is very voluptuous and pretty as Gus' charming girlfriend.
Wally Taylor is a riot as the selfish, greedy, and abusive con artist and racketeer Johnny Kelly, who is only out for himself. Julius Harris is entertaining as the vaguely threatening and perceptive Police Captain Bollin. Dan Hannafin is great as the frustratingly racist cop Cooper. Robert Kya-Hill sounds nice as Shaft's old friend and worried client Cal Asby. Evelyn Davis' swearing Old Lady is a scream.
Cinematographer Urs Furrer's smooth panning shots and careful framing look excellent. The vivid colors and smoky backdrops from Furrer and art director Emanuel Gerard look fabulous. Set decorator Robert Drumheller puts Essence magazine props everywhere, fancy golden antiques in the Italian mafia den, and slick black art and furniture in Bumpy's pad. The tacky 70's style furniture is so funny to see now.
Composer Gordon Parks creates a killer funky fusion of jazz rock, soul singing, and funk rock for Shaft's Big Score!'s film score. Too bad Isaac Hayes could not return, but director and composer Gordon Parks brings such a playful and exciting vibe. He really delivers funk, soul, jazz, and even classical clarinet music. Costume designer Joseph G. Aulisi delivers outrageous, colorful fur coats, black and brown leather jackets, and sharp suits for Shaft and the locals. Martin Bell's makeup gives Shaft his signature Afro and mustache, Gus Mascola a Wayne Newton or Elvis inspired haircut.
Overall, Shaft's Big Score! is 104 minutes of Shaft beating guys up, tricking cops, romancing ladies, and outsmarting crooks in Queens and Harlem.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Jelisije J
Shaft takes on his girlfriend brother murder and gets mixed up again with gangsters and jackals in this underwhelming sequel.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/01/23
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Audience Member
It's even bigger and more entertaining than the original. Roundtree excels in this role. He's a no-nonsense private dick that doesn't play around and is endlessly entertaining to watch. The only thing this one suffers from is not bringing back the incredible theme song.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
12/15/19
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Audience Member
Shaft's Big Score! (1972) C-104m. ??? D: Gordon Parks. Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Drew Bundini Brown. Exciting follow-up to original SHAFT finds Roundtree locating murderer of an old friend. Straightforward and fun.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/23/23
Full Review
Audience Member
(77%)
Very likely to be the most backed blaxploitation movie of them all, as the original was such a big hit both critically and financially. Most of the blaxplotation boxes are ticked here, Shaft is super cool, the music is great, some of the lines are very funny, he gets the girls, the opening is great, the bad guys are mostly white gangsters with a lone black guy letting the side down, it's all there, but what this has that all others don't is the fantastic action-packed ending. As action sequences go this is one of the best I've ever seen, it just goes on and on and I loved every second of it and it looks as if the director Mr Parks was given free control to do what ever her wanted and he really went for it. This could very likely be may favourite of the breed as along with "Black Caesar", it's a fine example of what the series was capable of when everything slotted into place so well.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/25/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Shaft battling bad guys and again directed by Gordon Parks--Shaft's big blast!!!
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
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