Katie Braman

Professor Elias
AMST 301 - ​Shaft​ Response
April 1, 2020

If not for this class, I doubt that ​Shaft​ would be on my “must see” list of movies to watch

while society presses the pause button for COVID19. Nonetheless, I admit that I learned several

things from this movie that is considered one of the first and most popular blaxploitation films.

According to the ​St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture​, blaxploitation was a movement in

the 1970’s that featured films with black protagonists and often were aimed at black audiences

(class handout). As I watched the film, my understanding and appreciation of the blaxploitation

genre became much more clear. To have a black actor in the 1970’s play not only the lead role,

but also a badass superhero strengthened the film’s themes of black power, race, and

masculinity.

As a black detective played by Richard Roundtree, Shaft uses his race to his advantage

throughout the film. This is especially true as he teeter-totters between the law and the law on the

street. Being black, Shaft mingles well with the other black characters from different crime

families in New York City by using cleverness and manipulation to get what he wants. His

macho attitude is not only an asset to him with the black gangsters, but also the white law

enforcement characters in the film. For example, Lieutenant Vic Androzzi who is white needs

Shaft and his prowess to bridge the gap between police and the black crime groups in the

community, especially when he needs help or information. Because of his race, Shaft gets a

dispensation for his shaddy actions, like throwing a thug out the window to his death. This

reinforces the notion that Shaft is untouchable in the eyes of the law that is primarily enforced by
white men and yet conspires with the blacks on the street when it is convenient and works to his

advantage. Shaft mixes well with both black and white society.

Shaft’s superhero label can be applied in the context of violence in the film which was a

bit too much for my liking. From one violent gunfight to the next, men are mercilessly killed,

however, Shaft gets by unscathed with the exception of the last altercation in the movie when he

gets shot in the shoulder. Considering the number of bloody gunshot scenes, this is a minor

incident to Shaft. As a result, one might conclude that he is smart, lucky, and even a little “larger

than life”. Needless to say, his courageous, fearless behavior earns him the respect from

characters on both sides of the law which feeds his ego even more.

Given that superheroes are often portrayed as good looking, sex symbols, Shaft fulfills

this description as well. Sprinkled in-between the violent scenes, Shaft has a couple of steamy

sexual rendez-vous with two women: one black and one white that reinforces his masculinity and

appeal. While it is difficult to understand the relevance these scenes had to the film, they seem to

enhance Shaft’s alluring and seductive vibe that meshes with his superhero image.

Regardless of the class, race, or gender of the supporting cast and the movie viewing

audience, there is a lot of love to go around for Shaft and all he represents. As the film that

launched the blaxploitation genre, ​Shaft​ will be considered not just a popular crime action film,

but one that provided a historical and cultural relevance to black films as well as the creation of a

black superhero.