"Shaft"

Hey, I'm just talking about "Shaft," starring Samuel L. Jackson, with Richard Roundtree reprising his role from the original. Music by Chef! I mean Isaac Hayes. What better thing to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon than watch our man, Sam Jackson, yelling his way through another movie. I was going to watch "Stark Raving Mad," starring Sean William Scott (the StiffMeister), but got "shafted" on the rental when they put "Starkweather" and "The Diary of Jack the Ripper" in the case instead. Who knows, maybe they'll be good. Consider that nobody noticed they were gone, I doubt it. Of course, nobody noticed that they were in "Stark Raving Mad" either.

Anyway, "Shaft" isn't really a remake. It's more of a continuation of the original, with Samuel playing the original Shaft's nephew. Basically, the movie is a by-the-numbers super cop movie. Nothing new. Shaft is forced to track down a missing key witness in a racially motivated murder, committed by some rich guy's son, played by Christian Bale. But he has to beat Peoples Hernandez to her, the drug kingpin hired by Jr. to kill her.

So, can he do it? No, I'm not asking if Shaft can solve the crime. We know the answer to that one. I'm asking If Samuel can carry such a film on his own. At least he has help from the trick 70's background music, though at times you feel like you're watching a porno. With no sex. And no money shot. The answer is maybe, depending on what you mean by that. Once again I've selected a movie that is perfect for a lazy sunday afternoon: one which requires no thought, and no awkward good-byes. A quickie, if you will. If that's all you want, then he's done his job. But, as the intervening years have proven, the Shaft franchise never got off the ground, even with the help of Samuel Jackson, so if you're looking for a long-lasting love affair, best check out "Debbie Does Dallas" instead.