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Given
the current fascination with all things seventies, it's
hardly surprising that one of the greatest heroes from
the Blaxploitation era should return, revived and refreshed
for a new millennium.
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| See
what I mean |
Not
that Samuel L. Jackson is playing the real Shaft. This
one is a nephew of the original Richard Rowntree character,
who has followed his uncle into the crime fighting game.
Times
have certainly changed. Twenty
five years ago Rowntree's John Shaft was street wise, wore
dapper clothes (for the time) and was very much a ladies man.
The new generation is cool and more brutal.
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| See,
he's at it again |
There
is one constant. The Isaac Hayes theme carries the film
along as Jackson tries to catch Walter Wade (Bale), a
rich white kid who killed a black guy just for kicks.
Jackson's
Shaft dominates the screen from start to finish. For the modern
day cinema goer, his will soon be the name you associate with
the character and not Richard Rowntree.
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| and
again |
But
Rowntree's not going out without a fight. Uncle John does
appear in the movie and still proves to be a success with
the women, leaving a club with two in tow.
Whether
he's back for the undoubted sequel is another matter.
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