Shaft
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | Release Date: July 2, 1971 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
LarsenOnFilmJosh Larsen
Nearly every frame of Shaft is intent on doing one thing: establishing its hero – private detective John Shaft – as a powerful, independent, innately good yet still devilish man in complete control of his own destiny. Read full review
80
IGNStaff (Not Credited)
If you are tired of watching the flatfoots who play by the rules and go home to the faithful wife, just kick back and watch my man Shaft in action. He'll remind you what an alpha male detective was all about, I ain't jivin' you, Bumpy. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
A hard-hitting action thriller. Read full review
70
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
A hip, cool, entertaining thriller. Read full review
70
VarietyA.D. Murphy
Directed by Gordon Parks with a subtle feel for both the grit and the humanity of the script. Excellent cast, headed by newcomer Richard Roundtree, may shock some audiences with heavy dose of candid dialog and situation. Read full review
70
VarietyA.D. Murphy
Directed by Gordon Parks with a subtle feel for both the grit and the humanity of the script. Excellent cast, headed by newcomer Richard Roundtree, may shock some audiences with heavy dose of candid dialog and situation. Read full review
70
The New York TimesVincent Canby
Shaft is not a great film, but it's very entertaining. Read full review
63
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Adapted by Ernest Tidyman from his novel, this suffers from some sluggish dialogue scenes, but the movie comes to vibrant life whenever director Gordon Parks hits the streets of New York. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The nice thing about Shaft is that it savors the private-eye genre, and takes special delight in wringing new twists out of the traditional relationship between the private eye and the boys down at homicide. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterStaff (Not Credited)
If Shaft were indeed a hard-hitting, fast-paced, action-packed detective thriller, as it was meant to be, then it would be an acceptable entertainment. But it isn't. Read full review
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