

Shaft
The mob wanted Harlem back. They got Shaft...up to here.
Cool Black private eye John Shaft is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.
TMDB
6.4/10
443 votes
IMDb
Not rated yet
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $1.1M
- Box office
- $12.1M
- Language
- English
- daughter
- new york city
- police
- gangster
- ghetto
- blaxploitation cinema
- biting
- aggressive
- suspenseful
- tense
- assertive
Top billed cast
















Behind the camera
Director
Produced in
United States of America
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for India. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
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Videos
Release dates
United StatesUS
- PremiereRDetroit, Michigan23 Jun 1971
- Theatrical (limited)RLos Angeles, California25 Jun 1971
- TheatricalR2 Jul 1971
- PremiereVirginia Film Festival6 Nov 2014
- PremiereRiverRun International Film Festival17 Apr 2015
United KingdomGB
- Theatrical19 Nov 1971
BrazilBR
- Theatrical25 Jun 1971
- PhysicalDVD5 Mar 2001
- Theatrical (limited)14IMS Paulista (Especial Novembro Negro — Gordon Parks: A América Sou Eu)25 Nov 2025
GermanyDE
- Theatrical16West Germany9 Aug 1972
IrelandIE
- Theatrical1514 Jan 1972
JapanJP
- TheatricalR18+1 Apr 1972
SwedenSE
- Theatrical1515 Nov 1971
Frequently asked questions
Shaft was released on 25 June 1971.
Audience reviews
2- J7/10
JPV852
6/10/2022
Richard Roundtree was great and Shaft as a character was absolutely amazing, everything else from the plot which was thin and performances by the supporting cast was a bit iffy. The pacing was also pretty slow and despite only being 100 minutes, felt a bit longer. Still, a good opening into the franchise. **3.5/5**
- C7/10
CinemaSerf
9/1/2025
Richard Rowntree exudes loads of charisma here as he takes on the role of the shrewd Harlem private investigator “Shaft” who finds himself embroiled in some fairly brutal New York politics. He’s drafted in by local gangster “Bumpy” (Moses Gunn) when this man’s daughter is kidnapped. He doesn’t know by whom or why - there are no ransom demands nor many breadcrumbs to follow, but there are plenty of suspects. Initially…
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