Shaft's Big Score!

Private detective John Shaft is drawn back into Harlem's criminal underworld when a friend is killed during a robbery. The police suspect the Mafia, but Shaft pursues his own investigation, which leads him toward a scheme involving illegal gambling and a network of people willing to protect their interests. Richard Roundtree returns as the title character, with Moses Gunn as Bumpy Jonas, alongside Drew Bundini Brown, Joseph Mascolo, Kathy Imrie and Wally Taylor. Ernest Tidyman, who created the character and wrote the screenplay, also produced the film with Roger H. Lewis.

Gordon Parks directed this second entry in the Shaft series, following his 1971 original. It was released in June 1972 and runs 105 minutes, blending action, crime and mystery. On a budget of 2 million dollars it took 10 million worldwide, a solid return by the standards of the time.

Audience response has been moderate and consistent across platforms: it holds a 6.1 rating on IMDb from roughly 3,900 votes and the same rating on TMDB from about 86 votes. For Parks, the film sits between Shaft and The Super Cops in a directing career that later included Leadbelly.