(rated R)
Can You Dig it? For a little while anyway, but the story slowly nose dives despite its catchy resurrected Isaac Hayes theme song, year 2000 hipster cast and coolest dude Samuel Jackson. John Singleton, does a more studio flick compared to his usual “Boyz N the Hood” style, in this 1970’s movie’s rebirth based on a novel by Ernest Tidyman. But, don’t expect plumed wide brim hats, platforms and big afros with gold chains. This time it’s serious business. Christian Bale plays a bad-ass-rich-white-bread boy to Samuel Jackson’s sex machine for all females and nephew to the original Shaft. He goes full force on Bale (whose character is worse than “American Psycho,” if you can believe it) behind an innocent black man’s murder. The movie works for only one good reason. A bit of an attitude adjustment from the original superfly type. Jackson says it best himself in being “more volatile than Shaft used to be”. Toni Colette plays a reluctant witness to the murder, Richard Roundtree makes a cameo as the original Shaft, but it all comes off a little too violent with too much of the city’s underbelly lifestyle. Jeffrey Wright does an excellent job as the Dominican drug lord who wants revenge on Shaft for humiliating him in his “I rule” neighborhood. For backup, Shaft has only his two closest sidekicks in Carmen (Vanessa Williams), a colleague on the police force; and his streetwise confidant, Rasaan (Busta Rhymes). That about says it all. Shut your mouth! I’m talking ‘bout Shaft!
