"He's a complicated man...

...but no one understands him but his womuhhhnn...John Shaft! I must admit I heard (and fell in love with) the theme before I ever saw the movie, but what a theme and what a movie! Shaft is great. Put the whole "blaxploitation" thing aside, and take it for what it is, a first rate action movie. Yes, it is often credited with kickstarting the blaxploitation genre (although the less polished but more overtly political Sweet Sweetback's Badass Song came first), and though I am a HUGE fan of them, it's hard to dispute that few of the films that followed were able to match it's quality. The acting and direction are solid, the script is well written (despite some cheesy dated dialogue), and the soundtrack is, indisputably, one of the best ever.

I mentioned the dialogue, and despite it's cheesiness, it's my favorite part of the movie. Lines like "You're a very wise caucasian, Vic", " 'Where are you going, Shaft?' 'To get laid! Where are YOU going?'", and "Cut the crap, man, this is Shaft!" are some of the coolest ever written, and could only, ONLY have been written in the 70's. But the greatest dialogue in the movie, and my favorite dialogue exchange between characters in any movie ever takes place between Shaft and one of his girlfriends, as he's talking to her on a pay phone: she says "I love you!" Shaft says "Yeah, I know. Take it easy." Chauvinistic? Sure. But undeniably cool.