Taglines: Still the man, any questions?
Shaft movie storyline. New York Police Detective John Shaft is the lead detective on a sensitive case, a young black man is severely beaten. The man’s companions tell Shaft that their friend humiliated the one who was sprouting racial slurs at him. Shaft confronts him and he says he’s Walter Wade Jr., the son of a wealthy man. Shaft finds that he has the id of a woman who’s a waitress at the bar where Wade and the guy who was attacked were. When Wade continues to hurl racist comments, Shaft smacks him.
Shaft later learns because of his actions Wade was granted bail and fled. Two years later, Wade returns and Shaft arrests him. At his hearing when the judge grants him bail, that’s when Shaft throws his badge at the judge. He then sets out to get Wade by finding the waitress. Wade in the meantime asks a drug dealer named Peoples Hernandez to find the waitress and make sure she doesn’t talk.
Shaft is a 2000 American action thriller film directed by John Singleton and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa L. Williams, Jeffrey Wright, Christian Bale, Dan Hedaya, Busta Rhymes, Toni Collette and Richard Roundtree. This film is not a remake of the 1971 film of the same name, but rather a sequel, therefore making it a fourth installment. Jackson’s John Shaft character is the nephew of the original John Shaft.
Shaft received generally positive reviews and opened at the number one position at the box office when it debuted June 16, 2000. The film opened at the box office at #1 with $21,714,757; by the end of its run, Shaft had grossed $70,334,258 in the domestic box office and $107,196,498 worldwide, against a $46 million budget.
About the Story
NYPD Detective John Shaft II (Samuel L. Jackson) is called in to investigate the racially motivated murder of Trey Howard (Mekhi Phifer), committed by Walter Wade, Jr. (Christian Bale), the son of a wealthy real estate tycoon. Shaft briefly meets a potential eyewitness to the murder, Diane Palmieri (Toni Collette), but she disappears soon after and cannot be found for the trial. Wade is released on bail and flees to Switzerland.
Two years later, Wade returns and Shaft rearrests him for leaving the country. During his temporary incarceration at police headquarters, Wade meets Peoples Hernandez (Jeffrey Wright), a Dominican drug lord. Wade relinquishes his passport and is released on bail again; in frustration Shaft resigns from the police force, promising to bring Wade to justice on his own terms. Worried that Shaft might find the missing eyewitness, Wade hires Peoples to find and kill her first.
Shaft continues his search for Diane, enlisting the help of his friends Detective Carmen Vasquez (Vanessa L. Williams) and taxi driver Rasaan (Busta Rhymes). While visiting Diane’s uncooperative mother, Shaft and Carmen realise they are being followed by officers Jack Roselli (Dan Hedaya) and Jimmy Groves (Ruben Santiago-Hudson), who have been paid by Peoples to follow Shaft and get to Diane. Shaft finally finds her, but before they can talk, they are attacked by Peoples’s men. In the shootout, Shaft kills Peoples’s younger brother. Shaft, Diane, Rasaan, and Diane’s brother manage to escape to Rasaan’s apartment, but they are followed by Roselli and Groves. While at the apartment,
Shaft (2000)
Directed by: John Singleton
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Jeffrey Wright, Christian Bale, Dan Hedaya, Busta Rhymes, Toni Collette, Richard Roundtree, Daniel von Bargen
Screenplay by: Richard Price, John Singleton, Shane Salerno
Production Design by: Patrizia von Brandenstein
Cinematography by: Donald E. Thorin
Film Editing by: John Bloom, Antonia Van Drimmelen
Costume Design by: Ruth E. Carter
Set Decoration by: George DeTitta Jr.
Art Direction by: Dennis Bradford
Music by: David Arnold
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence and language.
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: June 16, 2000
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