Shaft
Short description
New York detective John Shaft arrests Walter Wade Jr. for a racially motivated murder. Although the suspect is initially detained, he manages to leave the country after being released on bail. Two years later, Wade returns to the city to face trial, believing his wealth and status will ensure his freedom. To secure an acquittal, he conspires with a drug kingpin to eliminate the only remaining witness to the crime. Shaft must navigate these threats to bring the killer to justice.
Directed by John Singleton, this action thriller is the fifth film in his directorial timeline, following Rosewood. The movie stars Samuel L. Jackson in the title role, alongside Vanessa Williams, Jeffrey Wright, Christian Bale, Busta Rhymes, and Dan Hedaya. The production involved a credited cast of 100 people and a crew of 48.
Produced by Paramount, Scott Rudin Productions, New Deal Productions, and Shaft Productions, the film had a budget of 46 million USD and earned 108 million USD at the worldwide box office. It holds a 6/10 rating on IMDb based on 85,000 votes and a 6/10 rating on TMDB from 1,508 votes. This audience reception is similar to the score given by film critics, who rated the movie 6.5/10 across 115 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- According to Christian Bale, he agreed to star in this film mainly because of the fight scene between his character and Samuel L. Jackson's character on the runway. The scene was filmed, but cut during editing.
- Samuel L. Jackson and director John Singleton (1968-2019) constantly argued with one of the screenwriters, Richard Price, and producer Scott Rudin over lines in the script that they considered racially or sexually offensive. In one scene that Jackson objected to, his character throws a chocolate bar at his sexual partner after she asks him to take her out to dinner. The offensive lines were cut from the film.
- Christian Bale had just finished filming Mary Harron's thriller "American Psycho" (2000) and was very reluctant to play another villain so soon. He changed his mind only after helping Toni Collette refine her lines.
- According to Samuel L. Jackson, he and the director repeatedly argued about the film. After one such argument, which escalated into a quarrel, Singleton even refused to leave his trailer.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
