07/22/06 Shaft's Big Scrore!

Shaft's Big Score! (1972), directed by Gordon Parks

watched w/ Leslie & Tim (partially); DVD (personal copy) @ home & car ride (Raleigh, NC)

Today was a very busy day. I have to first acknowledge just how much is going to fit into this full day, and work the movie viewing into somewhere. Today is my brother Tim's birthday, so let's hear it for that...he will be coming up to visit me & spend some quality time (partying) with me. Second, it is the last official day of my on-site construction AmeriCorps crew which I am an alumni of so we will have to give props to them at our Habitat dedication, which I will be presenter/speaker for. Third, today is a workday for me, on top of all the preparation for the affiliate event scheduled for the afternoon. And fourth and finally, I will be partaking in a downtown wedding reception party for a work buddy at the prestigious Top Of The Tower hotel bar in Raleigh. So, with that full plate about to kick my weary butt...I figured on a short but sweet butt-kicking in the action/blaxploitation genre to tide me over. The covert operation to infiltrate my daily hours with DVD viewing opportunities started in the wee hours past midnight. I stayed up "late" to watch the first hour before falling asleep. I then had 45 minutes to squeeze in during the day, after work and getting ready to head out to the evening party. I brought my portable DVD player into the bathroom, the bedroom and finally into the passenger seat of the car on the way to the hotel. Yes, I timed it perfectly to have maximum good times all around. To celebrate both my bro's birthday and the wedding, I figured who cooler than Shaft to represent the day?! Since I've already reviewed the original "Shaft" film earlier in this Challenge, suffice it to say that he's still one bad-ass mofo, kicking butt & taking names, getting all the ladies, serving justice for African-Americans everywhere, and cashing in at the bank for the franchise that director Parks and star Richard Roundtree have created. The film plays out simply enough for shady numbers racketeering, rival gangs, tough-nosed undercover police work, murders, sex, violence, jive-talkin', and some missing $200 grand. It's tough enough to be silly, and silly enough to be tough...if that makes any sense. At this point, just the larger-than-life character of Shaft could have done almost anything in a film, and he would have reigned supreme in the vengeance/anti-hero category. Lay down a funky beat over this here end sequence...fade out, right on. Now to lay the smack down on a party.

3 out of 5 stars