Shafted

Shaft (2019) turns out to be a sequel of Shaft (2000) which we haven’t seen. That didn’t cause much confusion.

It starts in 1989 with John Shaft II (Samuel L. Jackson) and his wife Regina Hall arguing in his car, with baby John in the back. When the bad guys shoot up the car, Hall has had enough and takes the baby out of Shaft’s life. Cut to present day. Baby Shaft, a.k.a. J.J. (Jessie T. Usher) is all grown up - a bougie data analyst for the FBI. He is friends with nurse Alexandra Shipp and Avan Jogia, a Moslem and recovering addict. When Jogia dies of an ‘overdose’, J.J. decides to investigate. He heads for the worst drug den he can find and asks to talk to the boss. Since he’s a college educated nerd, this doesn’t go well. He is going to need help. His dad.

This is mostly a comedy - the joke being the contrast between Jackson’s bad-assedness and Usher’s softer approach. Take his friendship with Shipp. He’s clearly in love with her, but doesn’t want to break up the friendship so won’t move on her. Jackson just tells him to smash it - not quite the right approach either, but he has a point.

And of course, his granddad, the original Shaft, Richard Roundtree, gets involved.

Sadly, although this is all fairly well done, it is pretty predictable. In fact, it has a TV sit-com feel to it. A good one, maybe - and these days that can be great - but not a great movie. But fun forgettable fluff is still fun, and I might even watch this again, or at least the 2000 version.