Shaft, based on the novel by Ernest Tidyman
Shaft was surely a cornerstone, one
of the first films to promote and celebrate an African American hero, an actor
in a leading role that was nominated for a Golden globe for Most Promising
Newcomer- Male.
The New York Times’ Best 1,000
Movies Ever Made list has included this appreciated, groundbreaking film:
Yet, even if Samuel L. Jackson has
started in a re-make and seems to be intent on making another soon, one may
wonder what is so special about this detective, crime thriller.
Maybe this should be repeated: it
certainly opened some roads- even today, minorities are not well represented:
African Americans and other groups are seldom given preeminence, the actors are
not awarded, sometimes even nominated; women are paid much less than men- the
recent case of All the Money in the World and the huge gap between the
co-stars, Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg, made headlines.
It is also very possible that Shaft
was one of the first to present what is now such a familiar story, audiences
having seen so many similar narratives that looking at this they would be
tempted to say that they know this, they have seen this before, only this déjà
vu feeling is experienced because others have travelled on the road opened by
Shaft.
For whatever reason, one could
wonder why this is among the best 1,000 Movies Ever Made.
John Shaft is different and part in
that he is an African American private investigator and we do not really see
many- if any (?)- of those on the big screen, or in literature for that matter,
given the aforementioned scarcity of black heroes in general and the now
destroyed prejudice- actually it seems a racist statement- that productions
with black stars do not sell well- Black Panther broke records and annihilated that
premise.
The hero is smart, socially
intelligent, brave, honest, kind, persistent, wise, curios, creative, has
perspective and he is engaged in a difficult and challenging task, to try and
save a young woman.
Bumpy Jonas is one of the leaders of
the underworld, involved in all sorts of illegal activities that bring not just
the antipathy, but the hatred and the wrath of competitors who want to
eliminate him or, at the very least, kill his business and take over territory
and profits.
This gangster is looking for Shaft
in a vicious manner, sending two hatchet men after him, when a fight breaks out;
one of the bandits is going through the window of the higher floor and lands on
the pavement, killed.
The police are taking Shaft at the
station to interrogate him and press the witness and the suspect into confessing
or at least testifying and informing the law about who the other man was and
what happened.
The private detective is not a “rat”
and he knows the law very well, the details that are needed for a case to stand
in court, evidence that he did something wrong and that he can sue, if they
take away his license and livelihood in the process.
When Shaft meets with Bumpy, there is
a confrontation with the thugs that are keeping the gate and have to search all
those entering to see the Big Man, to make sure that they carry no weapons.
Bumpy has a first version, in which
he says that his daughter had been kidnapped, he has multiple enemies and they
should come to confront him, not the innocent child who had had no role in the
wars over territory and illegal business developments and the gang leader wants
the African American investigator to search for and find his daughter.
In order to do that, Shaft is asking
his connections and has to trace Ben Buford- when they finally face each other,
a shooting spree erupts and they all have to run for cover, while five of
Buford’s men are killed and this leader of Black Nationals has to find refuge-
that he at first refuses vehemently- with the detective.
Shaft finds that Bumpy was behind
this attack and furthermore, his client had lied- that is he did not give the
investigator the information he dad, deceiving by omission-and actually knew
who was behind the kidnapping- the mafia, which wanted to push him out and
force his hand.
In order to defeat the powerful white
criminal organization, John Shaft arranges for Bumpy and Ben Buford to work
together in what looks like a race war, on the one side the Italian organized
crime and on the other an outré alliance between otherwise antagonistic African
American groups.
It is not at all easy, the operation
requires wisdom, courage, brilliance, self-sacrifice, dedication, tactical
thinking, astuteness and a good deal of good luck, as shootings and firearm use
are not just likely, but only to be expected- indeed, they do happen.
What is different in all this?
The race of the protagonists- very rarely
do we see this prominence of Black Power, the arrangement of the various
clashing groups, amusing elements and yet, the final production still lacks
some sophistication, refined achievement.
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu